•moral class boor, 

OR THE 

LAW OF MORALS; 

DERIVED FROM 

THE CREATED UNIVERSE 



AND FROM 

REVEALED RELIGION. 



INTENDED FOR SCHOOLS. 






" Nil enim prodest, quod ladere non possit idem." 
The statutes of the Lord are right; rejoicing the heart: 
The commandment of the Lord is pure; enlightening the eyes. 

psalm xix. 8. 



BY WILLIAM SULLIVAN, L.L.D. 

FELLOW OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES AND 
OF THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY; AND PRESIDENT 
OF THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION. 



SECOND (STEREOTYPE) EDITION WITH ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 



BOSTON: 

CARTER, HENDEE, AND CO. 
1833. 



™-~4» » T * f, • » s« ^. 



X 



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;<.*>• %'.*4S tc*. •- -*••** 



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*v* 



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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1833, 
by William Sullivan, in the Clerk's Office of the 
District Court of Massachusetts. 



s?rj 



3 3 2 



PUBLISHERS' 

ADVERTISEMENT TO THE PRESENT EDITION. 

THE Publishers of the Moral Class Book, now offer the 
second edition of this work. The first was wholly exhausted 
in the short space of six months. More than a year has 
elapsed since that edition was disposed of. The Author was 
unwilling that another edition should appear before a revi- 
sion could be made, which it was not convenient to do, un- 
til very lately. 

The present edition has been arranged in a better man- 
ner, than the former one was ; several new chapters have 
been added, and among them, one on the nature of evi- 
dence ; and several on civil society, and the moral duties 
nf citizens, in the United States. 

The work has been stereotyped, under the expectation 
[derived from the reception of the former edition,) that 
it may be extensively useful. 

The publishers are not aware thai any school book, com- 
prising a system of moral rules, in all cases, and for all 
classes, is extant, in the United States, but this ; and so 
far as they are enabled to judge, from what they have 
heard of the former edition, in various parts of the United 
States, they conclude, thai this may be a useful book, in 
families, as well as schools. They, also, are led to 
believe, that the demand for moral instruction is increas- 
ing ; and they hope to be useful in contributing to sup- 
ply that demand. 



DEDICATION. 



TO THE CHILDREN IX THE UNITED STATES. 



You are note an interesting part of the Inhabitants 
of this country. In a short time, you will be an im- 
portant part of the many millions, who are engaged 
in the serious business of life. You will be called 
on to perform many duties. The purpose of this 
volume is to prove to you, that by performing these 
duties in a proper manner, and from good motives, 
you will make life pleasant, as well as useful. No 
rule of conduct is prescribed in this volume, even 
tending to prevent the enjoyment of any real good ; 
but all the rules prescribed therein, are intended 
to produce the greatest good, which can be had in 
human life. You need not be reluctant to study 
these pages, because they treat of morals ; for, 
whether this volume convince you of the fact, or 
not, it is a fact, that to be truly happy, one must 

BE TRULY MORAL. 

WM. SULLIVAN. 

Boston, (Mass.) March 1, 1833. 

i* 



PREFACE 

TO THE SECOND EDITION. 



Let it be supposed, that all persons in the United 
States, who are more than twenty years of age, 
were inquired of, " What are your motives, in all 
the acts which you do, or omit ? " The answer 
would be, substantially, this : " To get all the good 
I can, and avoid all the evil I can." Suppose, that 
they were then inquired of; "What do you take 
to be good, and what, evil ? " The answers to this 
question, would probably divide the whole number 
into classes, among which these might be found: 
First, Educated persons who consider human life a 
phenomenon, not to be accounted for, nor worth 
the attempt to account for ; and that in passing 
through it, one must be governed by circum- 
stances, and manage as well as he can. Second, 
Those who are intent on worldly good, and who think 
it can be found in riches, distinctions, and superior- 
ity over others ; and who are strangers to all mo- 
tives which do not conduce to these ends. Third, 
Those who think that this system of being is vexa- 
tious and intolerable; the product of malignant de- 
sign, and who sincerely believe, that anything may 
be done that can be, if the operation of human laws 
can be avoided. Fourth, Those who consider hu- 



Vlll PREFACE. 

man life as intended to be a continued scene of sor- 
row and probation, and whose motives are, to bear 
affliction so well, as to be rewarded for it, in a future 
existence. Fifth, A very numerous class, who never 
had a serious thought why human life is, or what its 
end may be, or what is to come after it ; and who 
have no motives that they can define, or account 
for ; but who are governed merely by imitation and 
habit, and who think all men mortal, but themselves. 

Suppose that any one should see, that such is 
the condition of the human race, and should task 
himself with the labor of inquiring into this mystery 
of human life ; resolving to throw off all prejudices 
of education, habit, and custom, and to govern him- 
self, in his research, by plain common sense ; and sup- 
pose that he should come to the conclusion, that 
man's state of being is from awful authority, and 
unquestionable benevolence ; that man is necessarily 
a part of a created universe, and that whatsoever 
man experiences, of suffering or sorrow, (indepen- 
dently of the operation of general laws, indispensa- 
ble to the whole system) arises from ignorance, or 
disobedience : 

Suppose that in looking back on his own life, and 
on the lives of others, he can clearly discern, that 
all disappointments and miseries, can be traced to 
misapprehension of the purposes for which life was 
given ; and that if he, and others, had been better 
instructed, and had observed proper rules, of con- 
duct, life might have been far more useful, individ- 
ual^ and socially : 

Suppose he should think that the errors of life 
may be referred to defective instruction in youth ; 
and that the most important of all teaching is that, 
which has been most neglected, namely, how to 



PREFACE. IX 

live ; and that all other teaching, when this is neg- 
lected, tends, as readily, to individual and social 
evil, as to individual and social good : 

Suppose it to be obvious that excellence in pro- 
fessional pursuit, in mechanic arts, and in all 
the sciences, depends on knowing and observing 
accurate rules, might it not follow, that there may be 
rules for living, applicable to all who live, as cer- 
tainly as that the atmosphere is necessary to all 
who live by breathing : 

Suppose it should be perceived, that in all those 
actions which are adapted to give pleasure, and to 
make human beings satisfied with themselves, and 
with each other, there are rules, which, if well ob- 
served, would make of life a beneficent gift, to be du- 
tifully acknowledged : 

Then, would it be assuming too much, to offer 
the result of examination, though begun in mere 
speculative curiosity, in the hope that it might have 
some influence on the young, and lead them to some 
better knowledge of the purposes intended in human 
life ? 

It is admitted by all, that there is a science in the 
conduct of human life. It is believed that the teach- 
ing of this science should begin, as soon as any 
other teaching begins. 

Teaching, in all things that are worth learning, is 
conducted by a series of rules, the application of 
which is not known to the pupil when he begins 
his course of instruction. If one should desire to 
make his son a practical ship builder, for example, 
the son would be placed where he could see the 
rules carried into effect, which would successively 
lead him to the attainment of the intended object. 
At the expiration of his apprenticeship, he would be 



X PREFACE. 

able to build a ship by the application of the scien- 
tific and practical rules wherein he had been in- 
structed, and in no other way. If he find, in any 
case, that he has erred, he would consider whether 
he understood his rule, and whether it had been 
rightly used, and would correct his own errors. 
Morals must be taught in like manner. The object 
of this volume is so to teach ; that is, to show, that 
there are moral rules, and their reasonable founda- 
tion ; and, also, that these rules are not for one, 
or two classes of persons, but equally for all the 
members of society. 

It is well known that there are persons who main- 
tain, that the general diffusion of knowledge tends 
rather to disorder society, than to regulate it for the 
better. They doubt, especially, as to that education 
which raises young persons above the condition 
wherein they may find themselves in adult life ; 
they assert that desires and expectations are thus 
excited which cannot be satisfied ; and that the 
good which might have been had, with more lim- 
ited information, is lost, without compensation for 
the loss. This opinion must be founded on the ex- 
clusion of all instruction in philosophical views of 
human life, which have their authenticity in just 
views of Christian revelation. Can any sensible 
man maintain, that a cultivator of the earth, or that 
an artificer in materials which come from the earth, 
will be disqualified to pursue his vocations content- 
edly, and profitably, because he is well informed as 
to the real condition of the human race, the action 
of matter on matter, the true causes of (what is 
called) the inequality of social life, and the true 
principles of social union ? Admit, that mere knowl- 
edge, which has no chastening of moral teaching is 



PREFACE. XI 

mischievous, dangerous, selfish ; yet, so chastened, 
it becomes enlightening, and consoling, wherever 
and whatever human condition may be. The law 
of morality is alike applicable to all men. It is a 
heavenly light, which shines in the retired apart- 
ment of the philosopher, in the halls of legislation, 
on the bench of justice, in the sacred desk, on the 
fields of the farmer, on the work bench of the 
mechanic, in the domestic circle, in the social as- 
sembly, in the cottage and palace, in the chamber of 
the sick, and which even sheds its beam before the 
startling step, and on the grim visage of Death. 

There may be persons who are of opinion, that 
no system of moral teaching deserves notice, un- 
less it be founded on that peculiar creed which is 
the right one. What difference, as to morals, can it 
make, whether a person maintain one, or another, 
of the many constructions which are given to the 
Bible ? Whether one believe that a just and in- 
exorable Judge pronounces awful punishment, and 
forever, on guilty man ; or that there is a merci- 
ful and beneficent Father, who exacts obedience 
to his laws, and who punishes transgression, and 
who has pleasure in beholding life well spent, the 
law of morals, as to earthly being, must be the 
same. The moral system, herein proposed, ap- 
plies to any creed, and every creed, alike. It leaves 
to every one his own creed, only insisting that 
there can be but one true system of moral laws for all men. 

All that this volume assumes to do is, to dem- 
onstrate that there is a Supreme Being ; that there 
is a created universe ; that man has his proper 
place therein ; that by the mere light of reason, 
man may have an immortal spirit ; that through 
Christian revelation, this is certainly so : that as 



Xll PREFACE. 

man properly belongs to this system of being, and 
is immortal, there must be rules of conduct for 
him, in this life ; that he can know what these rules 
are ; and that if he know them, and obey them, 
he attains to his best condition on earth. 



Note. The Words of a school book should be proper words, 
and properly used. Two or three words are used in this book, 
which some writers may not use ; as responsibility for responsa- 
bleness ; accountability, for accountableness. These are English 
words. Difference in termination, does not in this case make a 
difference in meaning. If any rule is violated in preferring the one 
termination to the other, it is only that of taste. Sound, and ease 
in pronouncing, have led to a preference. 

Whether it be best to write participles with double consonants, 
is questionable. The rule of grammarians, that the double 
consonants are to be used or not, a sa syllable of the word is 
accented or not, is unsatisfactory, and not easily applied. 
Referred, for example, is so written in obedience to this rule. 
The last r in this word is useless, in speaking, and writing. The 
present usage has been conformed to ; but, sound, saving of 
space and labor, and appearance, are thought to be very sufficient 
reasons, why it should not have been. 

A few errors of the press were not noticed in time to be cor- 
rected, before the plates were cast. They are, however, such as 
to be easily discerned, and corrected, by any one who uses this 
book. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Introduction, . . . . \ 

II. On the Nature of Evidence, . 5 

III. Proofs of the Existence of the Su- 

preme Being, .... 13 

IV. Proofs drawn from the Firmament 16 
V. Proofs drawn from the Globe, . 20 

VI. Proofs drawn from the Action of Water, 23 

VII. Proofs from Geology, ... 27 

VIII. Geological Proofs, continued, . 30 

IX. Proofs from the Vegetable Kingdom, 33 

X. Proofs from the Animal Kingdom, . 36 

XI. Proofs that Man is a necessary part 

of Creation, .... 42 
XII. Proofs drawn from Human Organi- 
zation, . .... 44 

XIII. Proofs drawn from the Senses, . 49 

XIV. Further proofs from the Senses, . 53 
XV. Proofs from Human Intellect, 56 

XVI. Proofs from Human Intellect, con- 
tinued, . . . . . 62 
XVII. Moral Accountability, . . 76 
XVIII. Same subject, continued, . 84 
XIX. On Immortality, . .89 
XX. Revealed Religion, . . 98 
XXI. On the Internal and other Evidence, 

that Revelation is of Divine Origin, 118 

XXII. Moral Duty, .... 124 

XXIII. Human Duties, .... 126 

XXIV. Duties which One owes to Himself, 131 
XXV. Duties to One's-self, continued, . 143 

XXVI. Duties to One's-self, continued, . 150 
XXVII. Actions which are wrong as to One's 
self and which may be so as to 

Others, 157 

B 



XIV 



CONTENTS 






CHAPTER 

XXVIII. Same subject, continued, 
XXIX. Wrongs as to One's-self, and Others, 
arising from the Perversion of some 
good Principle of Action, 
XXX. Actions between One's-self and oth- 
ers, which are common causes of 
dissension, ..... 
XXXI. Actions which promote One's own 
good, whether affecting others or 
not, .... 

XXXII. Same subject, continued, 

XXXIII. Same subject, continued, 

XXXIV. Acts which ought to be done as well 

for One's-self, as others, because 
they are pleasant and useful, 
XXXV. Domestic Duties, 
XXXVI. Domestic Duties, continued, . 
XXXVII. Misfortunes, Sickness, and Death, 
XXXVIII. Civil Society, .... 

XXXIX. Civil Society.— Its form in the United 
States, ..... 

XL. Duties which public laws might en- 
join, or of which such laws might 
aid the performance, 
XLI. Dissatisfactions in human life, arising 
from supposed Inequality, and In- 
justice, in the distribution of Good, 
XLII. Duties which the People of one coun- 
try owe to those of another, 
XLIII. Duties to the Creator, 

Note and Plate, on the Earth's Mo- 
tion, opposite page 19. 
Note on Caspar Hauser, 
Note on Slavery, . 
Index, 



PAGE 

167 



176 



191 



209 
218 
228 



237 
253 
262 
276 
285 

292 



301 



309 

317 
320 



335 

336 
339 



THE 



MORAL CLASS BOOK 



CHAPTER I 

Introduction. 



Every thoughtful person finds that inquiries arise 
in his mind of this nature, What am I ? Whence 
am I ? For what purpose do I exist ? What is this 
which is called life ? What is the power of think- 
ing ? Will the consciousness of being cease when 
this life ends ? If not, will that consciousness re- 
late to the acts done in this life ? If so, in what 
manner, and with what consequences ? If I doubt 
what answers I must give to these questions, why- 
do I doubt ? Is it beyond my power to remove my 
doubts ? If I believe nothing of a future state of 
being as a consequence of the present being, have 
I done what I ought to do, to inform myself whether 
this be so or not ? If I have a sentiment of being 
liable to account in a future life for my conduct in 
this, is it a mere sentiment, or is it founded in rea- 
son, and binding on me as a conviction, from which 
I cannot free myself? 

Inquiries also arise in many minds of this nature : 
If there be a Supreme Being who created and who 
governs the universe, and who is supremely good 
and wise, why are the good and wise on earth, 
sometimes subjected to suffering and to sorrow ? 
Why is there, to such persons, so much of pain in 
body and in mind ? Why do disappointments and 
afflictions fall on those who strive to perform their 
duty in all things ? Why do not the punishments 



2 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

of divine justice fall on those who violate the laws 
of the Supreme Being ? Why is it, that worldly 
prosperity, respect, and honor, are often bestowed 
on those who violate all the laws which the right- 
eous Judge of all the earth must have prescribed ? 
Why is it that man is so commonly the bitter and 
relentless enemy of man ? Why is it that he haz- 
ards the destruction of his own property, his own 
liberty, and even his own life, to destroy property, 
liberty, and life in others? Why is it that we take 
pleasure in depreciating the good qualities of others, 
and in presenting their faults, follies, and errors, to 
the notice of those who were before ignorant of 
them ? Why do we feel emotions of dissatisfaction 
when others prosper, and regard the welfare of 
others as though it were a wrong done to ourselves ? 
Why do we mourn over that which is past and which 
cannot be recalled ; and tremble at that which has 
not come, and which may never come ? Why is it 
that kind acts done to others are frequently forgot- 
ten by them ; and sometimes regarded by them as 
a grievous burthen ; and sometimes repaid by acts 
of unkindness, and reproach, and even of injury ? 
Why is it that so much of human life is spent in 
vain and profitless pursuits ? Why is it that when 
disabled and suffering, in body or mind, that we can 
so rarely console ourselves with the fact, that we 
did not cause our own distress ? Why is it that 
family connexion (seemingly ordained as a neces- 
sary condition of human life) is so often a cause of 
irritation and vexation ? Why are children some- 
times inclined to regard parents rather as tyrannical 
and heartless rulers, than as affectionate and wor- 
thy governors ; and why are parents sometimes led 
to regret that they have given birth to offspring, 
who are fastened on them by ties which cannot be 
broken ? Why is it that unceasing parental care, 
and the wisest precaution in rearing children, are 
repaid by that bitter disappointment which must be 
hidden within the heart, and wept over unseen by 
any human eye ? Why is it that when parental 
care has been successfully applied, and when we 






MORAL CLASS BOOK. 3 

see the coming' forth of fruits, intellectual and moral, 
that in one little moment the blast of destruction 
passes over, and the remaining act is, to close the 
sepulchre on the remnant of lost hopes and joys ? 

What is that principle of our nature that compels 
us to some sort of action ; and which will drive us 
into such as is hurtful to ourselves and to others, if 
we are not directed to those of an opposite charac- 
ter ? Whence comes that sense of disappointment 
when success has crowned our pursuits ? Why is 
it that one, in the enjoyment of bodily ease, and of 
worldly wealth, and apparently in command of abun- 
dance in those things which the world calls good, 
and for which mortals submit to unceasing toil, is, 
sometimes, the most disgusted of all men with life ; 
finding no pleasure in the smiling earth, in the busy 
haunts, nor any good under the sun ? Why is it 
that men need forcible and irresistible powers of 
government among themselves ? Why do those 
who know that power is difficult to hold, and more 
difficult to use aright, earnestly desire it ? Why is 
it that those who have power, either do not, or 
cannot, use it honorably to themselves, and benefi- 
cially for others ? Why are so many of the human 
race subjected to the most miserable poverty ; so 
many wretched from the misuse, and abuse of bodily 
and mental power ; so many deprived of personal 
liberty ; and so many hung up between the heavens 
and the earth by order of their fellow-men, in the 
presence of curious thousands, who laugh at the 
exhibition of death, admire the firmness, or despise 
the weakness of one who, in full possession of all 
his faculties, knows, that within a few moments he 
shall be dead by violence ? — How does it happen 
that good and virtuous men, in reflecting on the 
change which is soon to come, and when the places 
that have known them will know them no more for- 
ever, do feel a sense of doubt, and even of despon- 
dency, as to their future destiny ; and would gladly 
be assured that all they have habitually thought to 
be true, is unquestionablv so ? 
2* 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 



Inquiries of this nature may be indefinitely multi- 
plied. It is of little use to make them, if there be 
no answers to them. They have been answered, 
in general, among the learned ; and in a learned 
manner. Can they be answered to the comprehen- 
sion of the many, and especially of the young ? Let 
us suppose that no small part of all that we see of 
folly, error, and crime, and consequent suffering and 
misery, arises, not from the laws of the Creator, 
but from ignorance of these laws, or wilful disobe- 
dience of them ; then it would follow, that the rem- 
edy lies in making these laws known. When and 
how is this to be done ? Not by leaving to each 
individual to find out the meaning and force of these 
laws through painful experience, and when the con- 
sequences of ignorance and disobedience are already 
fastened on him ; but to make them known, before 
the responsible action of adult life begins. If there 
be rules for human life, which come from a Law- 
giver who cannot err ; if these rules are laid down 
for subjects who are entrusted with the liberty of 
obeying or disobeying, it is inadmissible to suppose 
that these rules cannot be found out, and made 
known to all who are to be affected by them. 

To disclose these rules and make them operative, 
is a duty to ourselves, and to each other. The 
mode of doing it may be differently thought of by 
different persons. That which seems most likely 
to be effective is to address human reason, in a sim- 
ple and intelligible manner, and in such manner 
that the opening mind may comprehend the truths 
which are taught. Such is the purpose of this 
work. As these pages are intended for the use of 
children, we shall address only their own good 
sense. They will be called on to judge by the light 
of reason wherewith their Creator has blessed them. 
If the intention with which this work is undertaken 
be proper and practicable, those who will bestow 
the time and attention necessary to that end, may, 
it is humbly hoped, be enabled to answer many of 
the inquiries before suggested, so far as the enlight- 
ened minds, which have left a record of their 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 5 

thoughts, can assist and guide us in this search af- 
ter truth. 

The design of this volume, then, is to prove, 
that there is a Supreme Being, however incompre- 
hensible that Being may be to the human mind ; 
that He is the Creator, the Preserver, and Gov- 
ernor of the universe ; that He created man as we 
see man to exist, in his earthly frame, in his physi- 
cal action, in his intellectual powers, and with an 
immortal spirit ; that He ordained laws for man's 
Government, on the observance of which earthly 
good depends : That life on earth is connected, for 
good, or for ill, with a future life : and that death is 
the inevitable, though awful change, ordained to 
end mortal being, and to begin that which will en- 
dure forever. 



CHAPTER II. 

On the Nature of Evidence. 

1. It is intended to offer evidence, of sufficient 
certainty to constitute proof of the propositions 
which have been, and which may be stated, in this 
volume. There may be some propositions which 
are only matters of opinion. It is therefore deemed 
expedient, if not indispensable, that the nature of 
evidence should be defined. It is intended to main- 
tain all essential propositions, by intuitive, or by de- 
monstrative evidence, or by both. 

2. Intuitive evidence is that which is derived 
through the senses. Every one acts from the con- 
viction that his senses are to be relied on. This 
sort of evidence is so called, from the Latin word 
intueor, which implies, seeing by the mind. The mind 
perceives, instantaneously, through the senses, 
whether it is day or night, whether a sound is 
pleasing or terrifying, whether an effluvia is grate- 
ful or offensive, whether an object is smooth or 
rough, whether a liquid is agreeable or disgusting. 



6 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

Intuitive evidence is also had from long continued 
experience ; as when one has been accustomed to 
apply certain demonstrative rules in art, or science, 
he may perceive, intuitively, their application, as 
cases arise. So, also, one may have an intuitive 
perception, whether an action be moral or immoral, 
becoming' or unworthy. Some persons acquire the 
power of deciding, intuitively, on moral and intellec- 
tual qualities, by using their senses of hearing and 
seeing, as to the individual who is the subject of 
their observation. It must be admitted, that such 
persons have occasion, sometimes, to correct first 
impressions. 

3. Demonstrative evidence, is that which is used 
when something known is applied, to arrive at that 
which is unknown. Demonstrative comes from the 
Latin word demonstro, which signifies to demonstrate, 
or to show. A great proportion of our knowledge 
depends on this evidence. How much a particular 
object measures, or how much it weighs, is known 
by using some rule of measure, or standard of 
weight. There are known or admitted rules in all 
philosophy, and in all the sciences. There are rules 
in manners, morals, and in religion. If one would 
know whether an act done, or proposed to be done, 
be right or wrong, he must make it certain by the 
application of some acknowledged rule. All that is 
not certain, intuitively, through the senses, by re- 
peated experience, or often applied rules, can be 
made certain only by the use of some acknowledged 
rule or principle which is certain in itself. One 
comprehensive example will show this to be so : A 
ship has been driven about on the ocean, for some 
days by a storm. It is again calm and the sun re- 
appears. The navigators desire to know where 
they are. Their ship, the sea, the skies, the sun, 
are intuitively known to them, but these objects 
would be known to them, in like manner, and the 
appearance of them would be precisely the same, if 
they were some hundreds of miles, either way, from 
their actual position. To know where they are, on 
the wide ocean, resort must be had to demonstration. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 7 

4. Mariners know how to ascertain their distance, 
north or south from the equator, and how far they 
are east or west, of the meridian line, which passes 
through the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, near 
London. Meridian is made from two Latin words 
which signify the middle of the day. An imaginary 
or geographical line is drawn from the north to the 
south pole, on the surface of the globe. A line is 
supposed to be drawn along the Heavens correspond- 
ing with, or parallel with, the line on the globe. 
When this line in the Heavens comes to the middle 
of the sun, it is noon, or middle of the day. By a 
demonstration, conducted with the help of mathemat- 
ical instruments called a quadrant, or sextant, (from 
the number of degrees which these instruments re- 
spectively measure,) and by the use of scientific ta- 
bles, contained in a book,* always carried to sea, 
the question as to latitude can be easily answered. 
The instrument is used to ascertain how high the 
sun is at noon, above the natural horizon of the ob- 
server ; that is, what is the sun's altitude, measuring 
by degrees. The day of the month, being known, 
the tables, in the Practical Navigator, are consulted 
to know, what the sun's declination is on that day ; 
that is, how far he seems to have gone, from the 
equator, north or south, on that day. Twice in the 
year, (20th or 21st of March, and 22d or 23d of Sep- 
tember,) the sun seems to rise exactly east, and to 
set exactly west, or in the line of the equator ; on all 
other days he seems to have declined, or gone north, 
or south, of the equator. The altitude of the sun 
being known, his declination for that day being 
known, then, if the ship and the sun be north of the 
equator, the degrees of the sun's declination are 
subtracted from the degrees of the sun's altitude, 
and the remainder from 90 degress, and the remain- 
der, then, is the latitude of the ship. If the ship be 
north of the equator, and the sun's declination be 

* The book used by all American mariners, and probably by many 
English mariners, is the work of Dr. Bowditch, called the Practical Nav- 
igator. It is, like all other works of this eminent philosopher, perfect for 
its purpose. 



8 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

south of the equator, the degrees of declination are 
added to the degrees of altitude, and the sum is de- 
ducted from 90 degrees, and the remainder is the 
ship's latitude. When the ship is south of the 
equator, the same rules, reversed, give the latitude. 
Though this seems very simple, yet to make what 
mariners call an observation of the sun, with accuracy, 
requires, at least, knowledge how to use the instru- 
ments and tables, which the skilful and scientific 
have prepared for demonstration. 

5. The question, where are ive9 is only half an- 
swered, because it is obvious that whether the ship 
be in the Pacific, or the Atlantic ocean, the observa- 
tion of the sun gives the same result, the latitude 
of that line, being the same all around the globe. 
Another demonstration must be made, to know the dis- 
tance from the meridian line of Greenwich, (which 
is that adopted by the practical navigator) and 
whether the distance be east or west, therefrom. 
This can be done by complicated calculations, found- 
ed on observations of the moon, and of certain fixed 
stars, called lunar observations, from luna the Latin 
for moon. But the usual mode is the simple one of 
depending on a chronometer, (a word made out of 
two Greek words, signifying a measurer of time, in 
which sense all timepieces are chronometers) which 
is set at the true time of the place from which the 
ship departs, and which keeps that time throughout 
the voyage. When the sun is at the meridian, 
wherever the ship may be, it is then noon where 
she is. Then noon at that place is to be compared 
with noon, by the chronometer, at the place of de- 
parture. If the chronometer show the hour of 
eleven, the ship is 15 degrees east of the port of de- 
parture; if it show the hour of one, the ship is 15 
degrees west of the port of departure ; and so of all 
other hours, and parts of hours, allowing fifteen de- 
grees to an hour. Thus human ingenuity has en- 
abled the mariner, (who may be in a thousand far 
different positions, in all of which he beholds intui- 
tively the same sea, and the same skies,) to demon- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 9 

strate the exact point of the globe at which he cer- 
tainly is. 

It' one will take the trouble to observe what he 
does himself, and what others around him are doing, 
in the various employments of life, he will learn how 
much of human thought and action, may depend on 
demonstrative evidence. 

6. Rules are applied to all human conduct. If 
one does right, he conforms to some rule ; if he does 
wrong, he violates some rule. This is so in all sta- 
tions, and conditions, in private or public life, 
throughout society. In religious belief, right and 
wrong, or duty and disobedience, depend on what 
the religious belief is, and on the rules founded in 
that belief. One may be very sincere in that be- 
lief, and may strictly conform to the rules which he 
recognizes, but he may be essentially wrong in 
both. Of this, however, he is to judge. No one 
can read with another's eyes, nor perceive and 
reason with another's mind. Not so with morals. 
They are the same for all men. However ignorant, 
or debased men may be, there is still the same law 
of right, and justice. To what extent they do 
wrong, who know not, and could not know, how to 
do right, is a question independent of the existence 
of the law. 

7. Probability is the third sort of evidence, by 
which is meant, that in any supposed case in which 
one finds himself called on to act, or to decide, and 
is in doubt, he must infer, from all that appears to 
him to be certain, how he shall act, or how he shall 
decide. He must gather and apply all the reasons 
he can, for and against the act he would do, or 
would not do, and be governed, the one way, or 
the other, bv the reasons which weisrh most. 
When one would form an opinion, and has no intui- 
tive evidence to guide him, nor any known rule or 
principle which he can apply, he can only judsre of 
the probability of a result. Suppose one were desir- 
ous to know what a youth of fourteen, would prove 
to be at the age of twenty-one. There are some 
facts, in such a case, which are intuitively known, 



10 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

and some which may be known by demonstration. 
All these facts are to be taken into view, comprising, 
among 1 others, the youth's physical 'frame, his dis- 
position, his manners, his attainments, his intel- 
lectual powers, his habits. Then the i/s, or 
chances, are to be taken into view, and among 
them, these ; if his health continue, if his willing- 
ness to be instructed continue, if he make a good use 
of his time, if he fall into no temptation from evil 
example, if he feel the obligation of the moral rules 
which are prescribed to him, the probabilities or 
chances are, that he will be an honor to his family 
connexions, and an ornament to society. However 
probable it may seem that all these ifs will be solved 
favorably, there is nothing certain as to their being 
so. 

7. Suppose a youth of fourteen to be a disobe- 
dient, idle, worthless person ; is there any proba- 
bility that he will become a worthy man? The 
probabilities are against his becoming so. Yet, it 
is not certain that he will not. He may discern the 
error of his ways : he may be put in the way of 
good instruction, and may profit by it : he may es- 
cape from evil associates, and evil habits : he may 
awaken to a sense of self-respect, and sincerely re- 
pent of his follies: he may delight in relief from his 
opprobrious course, and may become a truly wor- 
thy, and justly respected person. But, the proba- 
bility is against him. 

8. Presumptive evidence, is the fourth sort, on 
which human opinions and actions are founded. 
This word presumptive, is derived from the two 
Latin ones, prce, meaning before, and sumo, meaning 
to take, and is applied, as to evidence, thus : — One 
knows, or assumes, that certain facts are proved; 
then it follows, therefrom, that other facts must be 
admitted. 

Thus, if a stranger in a town or city, desired to 
know the points of compass ; if he presumed, that he 
was facing the north, or any other cardinal point, it 
would follow where the other points were. If one 
has received a favor from some unknown person ; 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 11 

and if he know but one person who had the power, 
and the will, to do that favor, it may be presumed 
that the favor came from that person. If one were 
seen flying* from a house with a deadly weapon in 
his hand, and a person were found to have been 
slain in that house, it may be presumed that the 
fugitive was the author of the crime which had been 
committed. But, in all these, and in all other 
cases, to which presumptive evidence may be ap- 
plied, there may be error. 

9. The difference between demonstrative and 
presumptive evidence is, as to the former, that if 
the rules or principles be in themselves certain, and 
are truly applied, the result is certain. In pre- 
sumptive evidence, however clear the facts may be 
from which the inference is drawn, that inference 
may be erroneous ; and however clear the infer- 
ence may be from the facts presumed to be true, the 
presumption, as to the facts, may be erroneous. — 
Suppose a crime to have been committed, and A. 
brings together such facts, as to raise an irresistible 
presumption that the crime was committed by B. It 
may, nevertheless, be that A. is the guilty person, 
and B. innocent ; and that A. contrived the presumed 
facts, to throw the guilt on another, and escape him- 
self. In many of our daily transactions, and some- 
times in very serious ones, presumptive evidence is 
the only guide given to us. 

10. Among the reasons why there are so many 
disappointments, sorrows, and vexations in life, are 
these : As to intuitive evidence, the senses may be 
imperfect, or they may not have been disciplined, 
and the perceptions obtained through them are 
erroneous ; the mind may be feeble, or undisci- 
plined, and incapable of receiving correct impres- 
sions ; or all these causes may combine. In many 
cases, persons judge of evidence under prejudices 
derived from various sources, and according to their 
actual condition and qualities ; and frequently, one 
judges of evidence when blinded by self-love, mis- 
conceptions of interest, or passionate excitement, 
in which cases, it is found, at last, that he has 

3 



12 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

only been preparing for himself, causes of peni- 
tence. 

In demonstrative evidence, sometimes improper or 
inaccurate rules are taken ; or good ones are un- 
skilfully or erroneously used ; or both causes of 
error, unite. This occurs, not only in merely phy- 
sical demonstrations, or measurements of things 
obvious to the senses, and in things of science, but 
also in the great concern of life, moral and religious 
deportment. 

11. In probable evidence error arises from taking 
too few, or too many, or unsuitable materials, into 
the computation ; or from using all that should be 
taken, injudiciously ; or, from both causes. But 
more commonly, perhaps, especially among young 
persons, from acting thoughtlessly, and without any 
evidence, but only from sudden impulses. This is 
one obvious reason why children are so much less 
happy than they should be, at that time of life when 
they should be happiest. Yet, it is not the children 
only who are to be commiserated in this respect ; 
for parents, guardians, and instructers, must share 
in the blame, or misfortune, whichsoever it may be. 

12. In presumptive evidence, as commonly used, 
is found a prolific source of human error, folly, and 
of consequent sufferings. That, is taken to be true 
which is not true, and, consequently, the inference 
is false. The facts taken to be true may be so, but 
the inferences drawn from them, may be entirely 
false. Every moral person must see how deep is 
the obligation to know, whether that which he pre- 
sumes to be true is satisfactorily known to him to be 
so ; and the still deeper obligation to feel assured, 
that he draws a just inference from that which his 
reason and his conscience, allow him to regard 
as truth. 

As before intimated, we hope to show, that all 
the material propositions in this volume, are main- 
tained on that intuitive or demonstrative evidence, 
to which the common sense of mankind will assent. 
As to all which must depend on probability and 
presumption, every one has that liberty which be- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 13 

longs equally to all, of weighing the evidence of- 
fered, and of drawing his own conclusions. 



CHAPTER III. 

Proofs of the Existence of the Supreme Being. 

13. There is a Supreme Being, ivho is the Creator, 
Preserver, and Governor of the Universe, Those who 
read the Bible, and who believe what it teaches, 
need no proof of this proposition. But such belief 
may be entertained, either from common impres- 
sions, without regard to proof ; or from having been 
accustomed to regard those with respect, who are 
seen to treat the Bible with reverence, and who 
profess to live according to its rules. It is not in- 
tended to take any thing to be unquestionably true, 
merely because it is said to be so. The solemn 
and awful truths contained in the Bible itself, de- 
pend on the evidence of their truth. And although 
it is the express purpose of this volume to make the 
truths of the Bible clear and unquestionable, and 
as being, at the same time, the true exposition of 
morals, and rational Christianity, yet, for the pre- 
sent purpose, we lay the Bible out of the question, 
to be answered, which is, Whether enlightened rea- 
son can arrive, independently of the scriptures, at 
the certainty that there is a Supreme Being? 

It is not known, intuitively, that there is a Su- 
preme Being, as it is so known to us, that there 
are other beings. No one has seen the Deity, nor 
is his personal existence known to us, as we know 
each other. But his existence, power, and govern- 
ment may be known to us, by necessary and clear 
demonstration, through facts and truths, which are 
as undeniable as our own existence. 

14. Does any one doubt that there is an existing 
material universe ? Does any one doubt that he is 
a part of that universe ? Did any human being 
form himself? Could any one of those from whom 



14 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

he sprung, form himself? If intellectual, spiritual 
man could not be originally the Creator of himself, 
could the material world, which is without intellect 
or spirit, create itself, and subject itself to the laws 
which we know, from experience, do govern it ? 
The natural universe could come into existence in 
but one of two ways. 1. It created itself, out of 
nothing. 2. It was created by some Being who 
had power to create it. Human reason rejects the 
first supposition. The second, therefore, must be 
admitted. To this assertion it may possibly be 
replied, No. The supposition of creation is not 
proved. 

15. It may be asserted that all things may have 
existed from eternity, just as we see them. What 
intelligible thought does this assertion communicate 
to a reasonable mind ? — What is eternity ? Can the 
human mind form any conception of eternity ? Add 
thousands to thousands, and millions to millions, 
till the power of computation is exhausted, and it 
comes to no more than a succession of years. Men 
are incapable of judging of duration but by meas- 
ures of successive periods of time. Let us ascend 
to the highest possible duration of which we can 
conceive, we shall find a material universe existing 
there ; the question would be the same then, as it 
is now : How came it into being ? Did it create 
itself? The answer to such inquiries has always 
been, in every age of the world, by the most ex- 
alted minds, that the universe could not be its own 
creator. When, and in what manner it was created, 
may not be intended for us to know. It is enough 
for us to know, that it had a Creator. 

16. It is among the deplorable errors of our race, 
that in those things which are incomprehensible by 
mortals, we reason on the agency of the Almighty, 
as though it must be likened to our own, We are 
utterly incompetent to form any conception of the 
Deity in this state of being, but through his works ; 
and by his revelation of himself, made in such man- 
ner as to be level with our humble and finite powers. 
Our duty, then, is to learn all we can of Him, of his 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 15 

majesty and power, his beneficence and laws, from 
the contemplation of his works. Every step which 
we take in exploring the works of the Most High, 
forces upon us, more and more strongly, the con- 
viction that all which we are made capable of un- 
derstanding, proceeds from infinite wisdom, and 
from awful authority. We have only to trust, in 
this examination, to our own senses, and to the in- 
ferences which we draw from what they disclose 
to us, to be assured of the existence, of the pre- 
sence, and of the government of such a Being. 

17. There are few who have had the benefit of 
instruction, probably few who are sensible of ex- 
istence, who have not raised their eyes, in a cloud- 
less night, to the starry firmament, and who have 
not felt some emotion, however undefined, that all 
which they see there, was the work of some incom- 
prehensible Being, and that it continues to exist in 
pursuance of his laws. Familiar as this continually 
recurring spectacle may be, it is ever magnificent 
and ever new, and ever fills the mind with aston- 
ishment and awe. Examined by the light of sci- 
ence, and contemplated in its systematic regularity, 
the feeling of reverence and awe sinks deeper and 
deeper ; — and well has it been said, 

* An undevout astronomer is mad ! * 

18. How wonderful is it that such a compara- 
tively insignificant being as he w T ho moves on the 
surface of this little globe, and whose mortal frame 
is held to it by the irresistible power of attraction, 
should be able to foretell, with unerring certainty, 
the very moment when the light of the sun will be 
shut out from the earth by the intervening of its 
satellite : nay, the precise moment when a comet 
was visible from our little globe at a time long past, 
when he was not in being himself; and when it 
will be again visible, when he must be gone, and 
perhaps unremembered on the earth. 

19. Omitting always the light derived from reve- 
lation, in the present view of the subject, we know, 
in these days, the Author of the Universe only by 

3* 



16 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

approaching towards him in the contemplation of 
his works. In doing this it will be demonstrated 
to all rational minds, that everywhere the proofs 
of an infinitely wise and powerful Deity are clearly 
disclosed. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Proof drawn from the Firmament. 

20. The usual course of instruction in our schools 
makes known only that part of the firmament which 
is called the solar system, and of which our own 
planet is a part. This system, it will be remem- 
bered, comprises the sun, the eleven planets, the 
two rings and seven moons of one of them (Saturn); 
the four moons of another (Jupiter); and the moon 
of our own planet. All these planets have the sun 
for the centre of their system, and seem to us to be 
dependent on him for light and heat, and are well 
known to move around him with the most exact 
regularity, while the moons of such of these planets 
as have them, move with the like regularity around 
them. Each of these planets, and each of their 
satellites, revolve in measured time as they move. 
What must that power be, which appointed to the 
unconsumed and undiminished sun, his place, and 
to the planets, which move around him, their un- 
changeable orbits? The sun is 520 times larger 
than all the planetary globes which revolve around 
him, and one million 300 thousand times larger 
than our own globe. Such is the power of this lu- 
minary that the planet Herschel is held in its orbit, 
lighted and warmed by his brilliancy at the distance 
of 1800 millions of miles from his surface. Who 
upholds these orbs in their paths, and prevents 
them from rushing into one common ruin ? If it be 
answered, it is the law of their being ; who, then, 
ordained that law ? 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 17 

21 . Besides the sun, and the planets which revolve 
around him, there belong to the same system, com- 
ets, or hairy stars, so called from the Latin word 
for hair, coma. The design, purpose, magnitude, 
and motion of these erratic bodies, are incomprehen- 
sible by mortals. Yet, the learned have observed 
them to the extent of knowing that they have then 
destined paths, and move with exact conformity tc 
the laws of their being. One of them is known to be 
11,200 millions of miles from the sun, at its greatest 
distance, and to move at the rate of 880,000 miles 
in one hour, when nearest to him. The tail of the 
comet which appeared in 1680 was computed by Sir 
Isaac Newton to be 80 millions of miles in length ! 

22. Magnificent and glorious as the solar system 
may be, — what is it in magnitude and distance, 
when compared with the numberless worlds and 
systems beyond it ! In every clear night the naked 
eye may discover nearly a thousand fixed stars, 
which are supposed to be such luminaries as the 
sun. — If all these luminaries are suns, and have 
their attendant planets as we know our sun to have, 
it would comprise a mass of matter equal to 1320 
millions of globes of the size of our earth. The 
assistance which the human eye has obtained in 
extending its view into the works of the Almighty 
by artificial means, discloses to us the certainty, 
that orbs exist at such a distance from us, that a 
cannon-ball moving at the rate of 480 miles an hour, 
would require nine millions of years to pass from 
some of them to the earth. The sun is computed 
to be 95 millions of miles from the earth ; yet in 
eight minutes and a quarter, the light reaches the 
earth from that luminary. What must be the mag- 
nitude of luminous bodies, which are seen with the 
help of glasses at such a distance, that it would re- 
quire some years for light to come from them to the 
earth ? Telescopes, (so called from two Greek 
words, which mean seeing at a distance,) have been 
made, which magnify objects 200 times. Thus, if 
the moon be looked at, it is brought 200 times nearer 
than it is, and mountains and cavities are clearly dis- 



18 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

tinguished. But such is the distance of the fixed 
stars, that when seen by the help of such telescopes, 
they still appear no larger than brilliant points. *- 

23. It is said by some modern astronomers, that 
stars are seen at such distance, that light must have 
left them four hundred years before it strikes on 
our earth. Beyond all that is now known to us to 
exist, there may be still other systems, and all of 
them in motion according to the laws assigned to 
them ; all of them preserved and governed by one 
awful incomprehensible Power. All of them may 
be, and probably are, the abodes of intelligent be- 
ings, capable of comprehending and adoring the 
Universal God. Where shall the imagination fix 
the boundaries of creation ? From whatever point 
on the surface of our sphere the eye is directed 
towards the firmament, worlds on worlds, systems 
on systems, are disclosed. Are we in the centre of 
the universe ? Are we in some remote extremity of 
the universe ? What is the centre, what is an ex- 
tremity of the universe ? If there be a centre, if 
there be limits to the works of the Almighty, what is 
there beyond them ; and who and what exists, where 
the Almighty Creator does not exist and reign ? 

24. If one is astonished at the magnitude and dis- 
tance of these luminaries, how much more so must 
he be, when he tries to think of them collectively, 
and in motion ! It is known, that like the substances 
on the earth, they are held by the law of attraction ; 
and also known what strength it requires to move a 
weight of a few hundred pounds. If one could sup- 
pose our comparatively small earth to be a perfectly 
smooth ball on a plain, it is believed that it would 
require a mechanical force which no human mind 
can compute to give it any motion. Yet it is known 
that it moves at the rate of 68,000 miles in every 
hour, revolving as it flies, yet so easily and surely, 
that there is no perception of its motion. The 
planet Mercury moves at the rate of 1750 miles in 
a single minute ; a motion which may be measured 

* Treatise on Astronomy, by Professor Farrar, Cambridge, Mas*, 
page 30. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 19 

by supposing a ball to pass from America to Europe 
in one minute and three quarters, or around our 
earth in seventeen minutes. 

25. If no more were known than the motion of 
our own little planet, we should have proof that 
Creation was designed. The north pole of the 
earth, during all its evolutions, points nearly in a 
straight line to the north star, which is the termina- 
tion of the astronomical, or imaginary pole, formed 
by supposing the central line of the earth, (from the 
south pole to the north pole,) to be continued to the 
north star. Around this polar line, the earth daily 
turns, making its annual circuit of 596 millions of 
miles. So immeasurable is the distance of the earth 
from this northern pole, that there are no means of 
measuring its deviation from one straight line, al- 
though the diameter of its orbit is nearlv 200 mill- 
ions of miles. Thus, if one could take a wire a mill- 
ion of miles in length, aud pass one of its extremities 
through the centre of an orange, and then move the 
orange in a circle, the diameter of which is one mile, 
the whole length of wire would deviate so little from 
the same straight line as not to be susceptible of 
measurement. All the luminaries above, seem to 
revolve around the same polar line. It is in con- 
sequence of the earth's diurnal revolution, and of 
its annual circuit around the sun, that there is day 
and night over the whole surface of the globe, 
of continually varying inequality as to length, and 
that the vicissitudes of the seasons occur. But if 
the earth's own revolution could be in the precise 
line of the equator, there would be days and nights 
of equal length in all latitudes ; there would ever 
be burning summer at the equator ; continual spring 
in our latitudes, and endless winter in those of the 
north. Happily, the earth does not so revolve. If 
a ball be thrown through the air, it may be supposed 
to revolve on an axis at right angles with the line 
in which it is moving. The earth revolves on an 
axis which lies across its path, and in an inclination 
thereto, exceeding one sixteenth of a circle, that is, 
about twenty-three and a half degrees out of 360, 



20 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

into which all geographical and astronomical circles 
are divided. It is to be observed, that this is pre- 
cisely that inclination of the axis to the line of the 
orbit, which is adapted to make the most favorable 
distribution of day and night, and of the varying 
seasons, over the whole of the earth.* 

26. If the magnitude, the distance, the brightness, 
the motion of the spheres of the firmament, and all 
of these together, speak not to human reason in the 
name of the Almighty, then may man number him- 
self with the reptiles of the earth, and lie down with 
them in the dust of their common mother. Who 
that claims to have the use of his senses and the 
exercise of his reason, will venture to say, that 
these things are not so ? Will he be hardy enough 
to say, that these are the works of accident 01 
chance ? If so, how came they into being, to be 
the subjects of accident and chance ? What are ac- 
cident and chance, when spoken of in relation to 
organized systems, which move by unerring laws, 
through endless ages ? 



CHAPTER V. 

Proofs drawn from the Globe. 

27. If we limit our attention to the Globe on 
which we live, and consider its connexion with and 
dependence on the sun, its own atmosphere, its 
waters ; and consider its objects, and animals, 
whether beneath or on its surface ; wherever, and 
however minutely we push our inquiries, we shall 
find, and no less in the least of the animal or vege- 
table kingdoms, than in the glorious orbs above us, 
irresistible proofs of the existence and government 
of the Deity. 

28. On the nature and properties of the common 
air, which surrounds this Globe, volumes might be 
written, and every truth contained in them would 
serve to prove the power and wisdom of its Creator. 
The progress of science, by actual experiment, in 

* See annexed explanation. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK 



NOT E. 



ON THE EARTH'S MOTION. 

Amoxg the thousands of instances which might be cited to 
prove design in the created universe, that one in which the inhab- 
itants of the earth are most deeply concerned, is the mode of revo- 
lution, daily and yearly, of the earth itself. On the earth's motion 
depends the equal distribution of light over all the earth's surface # 
and that warmth whereon vegetation depends ; and on vegetation 
depends all animal life. An attempt will now be made to present 
this subject in such manner that a child may understand it, with 
the aid of illustrations taken from familiar objects. 

Suppose a smooth pine table, seven feet square, placed with its 
sides towards the four cardinal points. Divide the table into four 
equal parts, by drawing one line from the north to the south side, 
and one line from the east to the west side. Take a common hoop 
of wood, seven feet in diameter, formed into a perfect circle. 
Mark the hoop into 360 equal parts, (or degrees) ; cut the hoop 
into two equal parts, where the first, and the 360th degrees meet, 
and where the 180th and 181st degrees meet. Place that half of 
the hoop which contains the first 180 degrees, perpendicularly over 
the north and south line of the table, so that the first degree will 
touch the north end of that line, and the 180th degree the south 
end of that line, and so that there will be an arch over that line 
divided, or marked, into 180 equa' parts or degrees. Insert two 
pins in the table, three feet apart, in the north and south line, and 
each of them 18 inches distant from the point where the two lines 
cross each other. Take a thread nine feet long, tie the ends to- 
gether, cast the thread over the pins, stretch the thread tight with 
a pencil, so as to form the thread into a triangle of equal sides ; 
pass the pencil all around the pins, keeping the thread tight, the 
pencil making a mark on the table as it goes, and it will form a 
figure, nearly in a circle, which is called an ellipse. Make a 
hole through the table, at the centre of the ellipse. Tie a thread 
around the hoop at the 66i degree (accurately 66-32-60ths) and 
extend this thread to the centre of the ellipse, and continue it, in 
the same direction, through the hole in the centre, to the floor, 
and fasten it there. Cut out the entire ellipse and remove it from 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

the table, leaving the central thread as it was. The table will 
now represent the plane, or level of the earth's orbit, or path 
around the sun. The ellipse will represent the orbit. The sun's 
place in this orbit will be in the same plane, or level, at a point 
northwardly of the centre of the ellipse, and westwardly of the 
north and south line. The centra] thread of the ellipse, if extended 
in the same straight line, northwardly, would come very near the 
north star ; and if extended southwardly in the same straight line, 
the whole length of thread would represent that great polar line, 
around which the sun, moon, and stars, seem, to an observer on the 
earth, daily to revolve, because the earth does, in fact, turn com- 
pletely over in every twenty-four hours. 

Having found the earth's orbit, the sun's place, and the relation 
which the earth's orbit bears to the north star, and the great polar 
line, we have to find the earth's place, and its motions. 

Pass a knitting needle through a small round apple, beginning 
at the stem, and passing through the exact middle of the core, 
leaving the apple midway of the needle. Tie a thread around the 
thickest part of the apple at right angles with the needle, to 
represent the equatorial line of the earth. Place the apple 
in the ellipse, at the centre of the north side, so that the thread 
around the apple can just be seen, when the eye is looking 
along the exact level of the table. Incline the needle over towards 
the north, so as to bring it exactly parallel with the central thread 
of the ellipse, and then mark the degree on the hoop to which the 
needle points, and it will be found to be 23 and a half degrees (ac- 
curately 23 28-60ths) below the central thread of the ellipse, where 
it is tied to the hoop. This inclination of the needle shows what 
is called the obliquity of the earth's axis, (which is the needle) to 
the plane or level (which is the table's surface) of the earth's orbit. 
The apple being held in this position, place a sharp instrument on 
the north and south line on the table, so as to enter the skin of 
the apple, and turn the apple round, the needle being kept parallel 
with the central thread, and the sharp instrument making a line all 
around the apple ; it will be found to describe a curved line, cross- 
ing the equatorial thread, at two opposite points, one half of which 
curved line will be on one side of the thread, and the other half 
on the other. This line, marked by the sharp instrument, will be 
the ecliptic line seen on common globes. Move the apple round 
the whole extent of the ellipse, keeping the needle always 
precisely parallel with the central thread, and causing the apple to 
turn 3G5 times on the needle in its circuit. If a lamp were placed, 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

nearly in the centre of the ellipse (as before stated for the place 
of the sun) the apple would be illumined by the lamp, exactly as 
the earth is illumined by the sun, throughout the year. The effect 
would be, that, notwithstanding the earth is a globe, and lighted 
by a fixed body of light, all parts would receive, in the course of the 
year, an equal degree of light ; and, so far as is possible, an equal 
degree of warmth. Thus the inequality of days and nights is ac- 
counted for, by the constant, and gradual change of exposure, of 
the earth's surface to the sun. From the same cause arises the 
succession of the seasons. It is impossible to conceive of any 
other motions of the earth, which would produce the same effects. 
It is equally impossible to conceive, how the earth could have been 
better adapted to the production of vegetable being, and, conse- 
quently, to the support of animal life, over a greater extent of its 
surface, than is now known to be the fact. Let any one turn the 
apple in the ellipse in any manner that he can imagine, and de- 
cide, for himself, whether he could make of the earth, a better 
place of abode for man, over all its surface, than it is now made 
to be. 

Explanation of the Plate, The ellipse, the sun's place, and the 
twelve representations of the earth, (corresponding with the 
twelve successive months) are, nearly, the same as they are in 
nature, with this difference ; that the earth's axis, (the line from 
N. to S.) is represented as being in the same plane, or level, with 
the orbit ; which it is not, as has been before shown. The true 
inclination cannot be easily represented, in a plate. Suppose the 
most northern circle to represent the earth's place for the month 
of December ; the most western circle, that for March ; the most 
southern one, that for June ; the most eastern one, that for Septem- 
ber. As the earth turns on its axis, towards the east, 365 times 
in a year, one half the globe must always be illumined, and the 
other half, not. The sun's illuminating line moves onward, daily, 
while night advances in the rear, with equal step ; so that when 
the earth has completed its circuit, all parts of it will have had an 
equal share of light. While the earth is passing through March, 
and September, on some day, (about the 21st) the equatorial line 
must turn directly towards the sun, making equal days and nights 
over the whole earth. This can occur but twice in the year. 
The poles are seen to be respectively illumined, and darkened, six 
mont'is in the year. 

4 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 



77 



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nsM 




s n 



S 




n 



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71 



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MORAL CLASS BOOK. 21 

modern times, has enlarged surprisingly our knowl- 
edge of the agency of this subtle fluid on animal and 
vegetable existence. We can touch but sparingly 
on this abundant topic, and can only select some of 
the more prominent truths in proof of the proposition. 
29. From the Earth's surface, the atmosphere 
(which is from two Greek words meaning vapor 
and sphere) is supposed to extend upwards about 
45 miles. It comprises the common air, the elec- 
tric fluid, fluids that ascend by evaporation, and all 
substances less heavy than itself. This whole mass 
is subject to the power of attraction. It goes with 
the earth in its annual flight, and daily revolution. 
It is sometimes so still that the lightest substance is 
unmoved by it ; sometimes chilling, and binding in 
fetters all that it can act upon ; sometimes suffo- 
cating with its heat ; sometimes fanning with its 
healthy breeze ; sometimes scattering pestilence in 
its transit ; sometimes prostrating human abodes ; 
and uprooting the fast holding of the i gnarled oak.' 
Subtle and active as it is, its pressure is 15 pounds 
to every square inch, so that a common sized man 
sustains a pressure of 32,000 pounds ; which would 
instantly crush him, if it were not from the counter 
pressure of the air, fluids, and solids, within him. 
The pressure of the whole atmosphere on the earth, 
is computed to be five thousand million of millions 
of tons ; a number of which the human mind can 
form no conception. The components of the com- 
mon air are ascertained, by very modern experi- 
ments, to be two gases, (the word gas cannot be 
otherwise defined, for common purposes, than by the 
words elastic airy fluid) of which 21 parts in 100 
are oxygen, and 79 nitrogen. Oxygen is a word 
made out of two Greek words signifying acid, and 
to generate ; and is so called from the power which 
oxygen has, to form acids. This is supposed to 
constitute the principle of vital air. Nitrogen, is 
composed of two words from the same language, 
signifying nitre, and to produce ; which term is intend- 
ed to describe that part of the air, which produces 
nitre, which is a salt commonly called salt-petre. 



22 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

30. Some chemists consider the air to be com- 
posed of 21 parts of oxygen, 78 of azote, 1 part of 
carbonic acid, and some atoms of hydrogen ; a sub- 
stance which forms eight parts in nine of common 
water. * Azote is derived from two Greek words, 
signifying depriving of life; it is that part of the air 
which is called nitrogen by some chemists. When 
separated from other parts of the air, the respira- 
tion of it is fatal to animal life. The oxygen of air, 
drawn into the lungs by breathing, is there sepa- 
rated from the other components of the air, and 
unites with the blood. The nitrogen and hydrogen 
are emitted from the lungs ; and the latter, in cold 
weather, is seen in the form of vapor; and is so 
changed by the natural heat of the body. This 
heat is said to depend on respiration, by which there 
is a continual accession of oxygen to the system, 
from the common air. How it is that animal heat 
is created and continued, (being always greater 
than the heat of the external air,) has not been ac- 
counted for. The most that seems to be known is, 
that animal heat depends on the circulation of the 
blood ; and this, on respiration. 

31. The common air is a general and powerful 
agent, throughout the whole range of animal and 
vegetable life. It seems to have been commissioned 
to keep alive, and to destroy ; ever performing each 
duty, in proper time, and circumstance. Wherev- 
er there is motion, the presence of the air seems 
indispensable. If it contain the principle of animal 
life, so neither dissolution, nor decomposition, 
(necessary to the unceasing process of reproduc- 
tion) can go on without it. Wherever human sa- 
gacity can discern its laws of action, they appear to 
govern uniformly, and inevitably. 

32. Science has been able to do little more than 

* This compound is adopted in the Encyclopedia Americana , ed- 
ited by Dr. Francis Lieber, assisted by Edward Wigglesworth, and 
Thomas G. Bradford ; a work of exalted merit. Comparing the price 
of this work with its pages, it is, perhaps, the cheapest work ever pub- 
lished in this country ; and comparing its cost with its value in useful in- 
formation, decidedly the cheapest. It is a Library in itself, and ought 
to be in every reading family. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 23 

to arrive at some knowledge of the qualities and 
properties of matter, and of their rules of action. 
It has made no approach to the knowledge of es- 
sence. Thus, what the air itself is, no one knows. 
But it is known, that the something in it, which is 
called oxygen, is the part necessary to combustion, 
to the conducting and preservation of heat, to the 
existence, and continuance of animal and vegeta- 
ble life. _ Nitrogen has none of these properties ; 
and seems to have been mingled with oxygen, to 
temper its action. It is like 21 drops of a liquid 
mingled with 79 drops of a liquid of opposite quali- 
ty. It is said that if there were only oxygen in the 
air, it would inflame and consume every thing, even 
metallic substances. If there were only nitrogen, 
there could be no flame, no heat ; no animal, no 
vegetable life. 

33. Considering the wonderful properties of the 
common atmosphere, even in the limited knowledge 
hitherto had of it, one might put on those, who de- 
ny Supreme Intelligence, to answer the inquiries : 
By what power was the air made fit for man, and 
for all animals on the earth, however, comparative- 
ly, great or small : For every member in the 
countless variety of the vegetable kingdom ; and 
by what power, were all and every one of these 
adapted to its action ? 

By whom was that property of the air imparted, 
which in some yet unknown principle of action can 
dissipate the hardest substances, and convert the 
most solid into fluids ? And by whom were these 
substances so formed, as to be subject to such ac- 
tion ? It may be more proper to ask, whether these 
things could be so } but through some Intelligence, how- 
ever incomprehensible by man ? 



CHAPTER VI. 

Proofs drawn from the Action of Water. 

34. In further support of the proposition, that the 
material world must have been the work of design, 
4* 



24 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

and that all its parts are necessarily connected and 
fitted to each other, we have briefly to notice the 
element of water. It is seen that the air is con- 
nected with animal and vegetable life ; so also is 
water, and both are indispensable. No one is igno- 
rant that if no rain should fall on the earth in our 
climate, from the commencement of spring to the 
end of autumn, all vegetable being would perish, 
and probably most of animated beings. 

35. By whose order and will is it, that the waters 
are gathered into clouds, and poured out upon the 
earth ? By whose designing is it, that the ocean, 
to which all rivers flow, is ever of the same ful- 
ness ; and that the rivers flow on from year to year 
from unexhausted fountains? Who has ordained 
the ocean to be the fountain of the rains that de- 
scend upon it, and of the rivers that render their 
unceasing tribute to it ? What power was that 
which planned, and forever keeps in action, the si- 
lent, unseen process of evaporation, through which 
the waters are gathered into clouds, borne by the 
winds, and commanded to fall on the refreshed and 
fertilized ground, and to replenish the streams, in- 
tended to adorn and beautify the earth, and to min- 
ister to the comfort of man, and give scope to his 
enterprise, and his inventive genius ? What intelli- 
gence was that which so apportioned the water to 
the earth, and the earth to the water, that by the 
action of natural laws, the earth is neither too wet 
nor too dry to permit vegetation, nor to furnish the 
medium essential to animal and vegetable being ? 
This circulation of the waters, from the ocean to the 
atmosphere, from the atmosphere to the mountains, 
from the mountains to the ocean, is, like the beams 
of the sun, and like the common air, too familiar to 
excite one thought of Him who ordained it ; or to 
inspire one emotion of gratitude or praise. 

36. It is not by evaporation only, (it is believed) 
that these fountains are supplied. When the anal- 
ogies of the natural world are considered, it is prob- 
able that water returns to the fountains, not only 
through the air, but through the earth. If the 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 25 

depths of the sea bear a proportionable relation to 
the height of mountains, it may not be deeper any- 
where than five nine thousandth parts of the earth's 
diameter. It may be that the waters pass through 
the earth by attraction, or pressure, and become 
purified from salt in the transit. It may be that 
they are sent on their way to visit deep buried 
mines, and to take their qualities, and to bear them 
in a state of solution to the surface, for the conven- 
ience, comfort, or restoration of the human family; 
or to revisit the light of the sun, pure limpid and 
healthful, to continue vegetable and animal existence. 

37. The saltness of the ocean is one of its quali- 
ties, which has excited the curiosity of philosophers. 
This quality may not be necessary to the preserva- 
tion of its purity, for this is supposed to depend on 
its unceasing motion. Whence its saltness, which 
is found to be nearly the same in all parts, is de- 
rived, is unknown. Although there are mines of 
salt, and salt springs, in different parts of the earth, 
yet the saltness of the ocean must have some, how- 
ever unknown connexion, with the orders of exist- 
ence. Sea-water yields, by a well-known process, 
great quantities of this essential article. The pres 
ence of salt, in the human blood, is indispensable to 
its healthy condition ; the absence of salt from the 
blood, is one cause of disease, and may be a cause 
of inflammatory diseases. It may be, that the air 
which we breathe derives qualities from the saltness 
of the ocean, which are indispensable to human 
life. There is yet much to be discovered, probably, 
on this peculiarity of ocean waters. 

38. The tides and currents of the ocean, are 
among the striking proofs of design, and order, 
originating in Supreme Intelligence. The tides 
must, in the present state of science, be referred to 
the attractive power of the sun and moon. There 
is motion in the waters of the sea, not only from 
the regularity of tides, but also from the action of 
the winds, and from unceasing currents, which are, 
respectively, found ever in the same latitudes, and 
to a surprising extent, and always moving with the 



26 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

same velocity in respective parts. The whole vol- 
ume of waters, like the human blood, may have its 
destined round to perform, in some appropriate 
time, and in obedience to some salutary and neces- 
sary law. While this continued motion is going on, 
the tides continue their regular rise and fall ; the 
rivers send their tributes ; and the process of evap- 
oration performs its ordained duty. 

39. Beneath the surface of the mighty deep, there 
is a world hardly known to man. He knows what 
the tremendous tumult of its surface may be, and 
how to sustain himself unharmed upon it. He 
knows how to draw some of its inhabitants from 
their abodes, and to enrich himself with their pro- 
ducts. But its deep recesses, and its contents, are 
far deeper than his investigation can extend. All 
that is going on, throughout this vast expanse of 
the waters of the globe, are closed to human view ; 
and the millions and millions of animated beings, 
as varied, probably, as those which are submitted 
to man's observation on the earth, and in the air, 
and in the waters which are on the surface of the 
earth, are, and must forever be, unknown to man. 
Yet, how can he doubt, that whatsoever lies, and 
is beneath the ocean's surface, is the work of that 
Power, who formed and sustains all that the earth 
bears on its surface ? No thoughtful mind can be- 
hold the ocean without feeling that it has come 
into the very presence of its Creator. It seems to 
be, like the ever-enduring forest, such as it was 
when it first began to be. 

40. The art and science of man can make no 
change in this monument of eternal power. Yet 
the ocean, seemingly the same from age to age, is 
ever submitting to the law of unceasing revolution. 
The same law reigns among all that its sublime 
expanse conceals from all human power, but that 
of imagination. The ocean presents relation con- 
nected with human art, ingenuity and science, 
by which its pathless surface is made to be the 
means through which nations know each other, in 
opposite hemispheres, and through which knowl- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 27 

edge, refinement, and the light of eternal truth are 
conveyed from those who can read and understand, 
to those ( who sit in darkness and who see no light.' 



CHAPTER VII. 

Proofs from Geology. 

41. The presence and the agency of the same 
infinite mind is disclosed to us on and beneath the 
surface of the globe. The interior of the globe is 
known but imperfectly, even within the compara- 
tively small extent to which it has been penetrated. 
The utmost extent (and this in some very few 
places) in which the earth has been penetrated, is 
less than one nine thousandth part of its diameter. 
The knowledge which we have, has been obtained 
by the excavation of mines, from natural caverns, 
in searching for water, or from examination, re- 
quiring a research less deep than is required for 
those purposes. Some very learned discussions 
of facts have been presented to the world of late 
years, and different theories have been founded on 
these, as to the changes to which our planet has 
been subjected. 

42. These learned writers agree that at some 
time, and while the earth was the abode of many 
animals in different orders of being, it must have 
undergone some general convulsion, the. proof of 
which is clear, from the examination of its exterior, 
and of its interior, so far as it is known. One of 
these writers says, c the structure of the globe, in 
all its parts, presents the appearance of a vast ruin. 
The confusion and overthrow of most of its strata, 
the irregular succession of those which remain in 
their original situations ; the wonderful variety 
which the direction of the veins and the forms of 
the caverns, display ; the immense heaps of con- 
fused and broken substances, the transposition oi 
enormous blocks to a great distance from the moun- 
tains of which they appear to have formed a part. 



28 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

make us feel, that the history of our globe reaches 
back to periods far anterior to the existence of the 
human race.' 

43. These expressions, undoubtedly founded in 
fact, are not (as will be elsewhere shown) incon- 
sistent with the scriptural account of the beginning 
of things. There are not materials from the re- 
searches hitherto made, sufficient to form any satis- 
factory opinion of what the earth was, before this 
universal convulsion occurred.* 

44. It is well ascertained that among all the re- 
searches made, no bones of the human frame have 
been discovered. The suggestion that human bones 
might be more easily decomposed than those of other 
animals has been considered by philosophers ; and it 
is denied, that there is any such difference, in this re- 
spect, as will account for their absence. It is hence 
inferred that man was created since that convulsion 
to which these fossil remains are to be referred. 
In whatever mode the absence of all fossil remains 
of man may be accounted for, this fact is not incon- 



* The proofs that it did occur, are seen in many forms, some of which 
are the following. In lands far distant from the sea, in every quarter of 
the earth, shells of animals, whose proper element is the sea, are found 
in immense quantities ; and also at elevations above the level of the sea 
varying from 6000 to 13000 feet. What is surprising is, that many of 
them are of an order which no longer exist. The most common proofs, 
next after that of shells, are remains of fishes, and some of these of de- 
scriptions now unknown. These remains are found in similar elevations, 
embedded in clay, in slate, and even in solid rock. Specimens of this 
sort have been noticed in many places, and among others in the Province 
of Burgundy in France, in grey calcareous hard stone ; and at Narterre 
near Paris, the remains of a fish exceeding 10 inches in length have been 
found in a solid bed of stone, at the depth of 17 feet. These, and a 
multitude of other marine substances, and fossil remains, (fossil is from 
a Latin word which signifies to dig, and is applied, in science, to sub- 
stances found in a state of preservation) seem to prove the action of 
overwhelming waters, or that the ocean has retired from the face of the 
earth. The action of tumultuous waters, conforms to the received opin- 
ion as to the deluge. These are fossil remains of various land animals. 
They are found in all elevations and in different sorts of earth, and in 
stone and marble. Remains of animals are found which show that there 
were animals unlike any which now exist on the earth ; and remains 
are found in one quarter of the earth where no such living animal is now 
found. This is said to be the case as to a species of opossum, found 
near Paris, which is known to exist only in South America. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 29 

sistent with the Mosaic account. Moses is sup- 
posed to have written 2500 years after the time at 
which he fixes the creation of the world. His work 
may have been composed in part, from other works 
then existing ; and it is remarkable, that the geo- 
logical computations refer the appearances cm which 
they rest, to a date which is consistent with that 
which Moses assigns to the creation. It is not im- 
probable that the globe had then undergone some 
tremendous convulsion, and that a new creation 
had then been made ; and that in some prior state 
of the globe, animals had existed on it, though man 
did not ; and that man was then created ; and that 
a new order of animals was created. 

45. It is also probable that the deluge was not 
that convulsion from which these remains are to 
be dated ; nor is it by any means proved, that the 
deluge would have occasioned such convulsion. 
The objection to this may be that Moses speaks 
of six days as the time within which the creation 
was made. But it is far from being certain that 
Moses intended six diurnal revolutions of the earth, 
as we now measure days. This expression may 
have been used by him figuratively ; and it is said 
that the Hebrew prophets are often to be so under- 
stood ; and the prophet Daniel is referred to in 
proof, that the word day must mean some other 
lapse of time than the natural day. Geological 
theories rather confirm the Mosaic account in as- 
signing to man his origin, at the same period which 
that account assigns to him. 

46. It is to be remarked, that there are two 
classes of philosophers who entertain opposite opin- 
ions as to the changes which have occurred in the 
earth. The one is called Neptunists (from Neptune 
the god of the sea) who refer these changes to the 
action of water ; the other is called Vulcanists, 
(from Vulcan one of the fabled gods as well of the 
Greeks as Romans, who is supposed to have taught 
the use of fire as applied to metals ;) who refer 
these changes to the action of fire. The latter sup- 
pose that the earth was in a state of igneous fu- 



30 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

sion, or a liquid mass intensely heated ; that it 
gradually cooled, and was covered with water at a 
subsequent period. 

47. The Neptunists hold, that the earth was first 
in a state of watery solution, and that the present 
formation arose from the drying 1 , and from the gravi- 
tation of floating parts, and from crystallization, 
&c, in which form so many substances are known 
to us. Snow, sugar, salt, frost on the windows, in 
winter, are crystallizations. Both theories may be 
in some way true, since there are so many proofs 
of the action of both these elements in geological 
science. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Geological Proofs continued. 

48. Geology is understood to be that science 
which treats of the origin of non-organic sub- 
stances, that form the solid crust of the globe. It 
includes the structure of the earth, and the nature, 
qualities, and changes through which the materials 
of which this crust is composed, may have passed. 
Mineralogy is the science of defining, and classing 
these substances : Mineral, therefore, is a very 
comprehensive term. The substances which it in- 
cludes, may be properly considered in reference to 
the power and design of the Creator, in adapting 
them to the use of man, and man to use them. 
Perhaps it is not an unreasonable supposition, that 
the convulsions which interest the curiosity of ge- 
ologists, were intended to make the earth a con- 
venient and proper place for human abode. What- 
ever may be thought of this, it is certain that the 
inexhaustible treasury which is beneath the sur- 
face, but within human reach, can be and is. used 
by man. None of it was placed there in vain, 
though all the benefit hitherto derived from it, may 
be far short of that which further experiments may 
disclose. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 31 

49. It is foreign to the present object to enume- 
rate the parts of the mineral kingdom. This has 
been done by different authors, as is well known, 
and especially by those who have favored the read- 
ing world with chemical discussions, as well as by 
geologists. The limits of the present object will 
only permit a brief allusion, for the purpose of show- 
ing the consistency of these provisions of the Crea- 
tor, with the condition which he has assigned to 
man, and with the faculties which have been given 
to him. And for these purposes, we may refer to 
the quantity, variety, and position of coal, which 
is so indispensable to daily comfort, and to the gen- 
eration and application of heat, seen in so many 
and so important uses. The quality imparted to 
this mineral, constitutes it an agent, by which all 
other minerals are wholly, or in part, disengaged 
from the substances with which they are connected, 
and then fitted to the purposes for which they ap- 
pear to have been intended. The well known qual- 
ities of iron, silver, gold, copper, tin, zinc, lead, 
platina, and the compounds made of them, are in 
some way, brought into a state for use by heat. 
Heat, also, is applied to a great variety of sub- 
stances, of which lime is a constituent part, and 
which are called calcareous. * Chalk is said to be 
4 a very ancient chemical decomposition of the al- 
tered and obliterated remains of shell fish.' Every 
description of marble may be reduced to lime, by 
the action of heat. 

The almost endless variety of substances, which 
are known under the common name of stone, all of 
which are defined and classed, are seen to be in- 
tended for human good, not only for necessary pur- 
poses, but for those of convenience and elegance. 
The admiration of successive ages has been secured 
by the exercise of skill and genius, on marble, de- 
voted to poetic beauty, to historical illustration, or 
individual renown. 



* From being combined with lime, from the Latin word calx, which 
signifies lime, and also chalk. 5 



32 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

50. To the mineral kingdom, acted upon by sci- 
ence, and art, mankind are indebted also in a thou- 
sand ways which can only be glanced at in this 
limited view. In the various departments of useful 
industry which bind the individuals of nations to- 
gether, and which happily connect and make na- 
tions dependent on each other, we see, in number- 
less varieties, the use of minerals. From the same 
treasury, through the same means, we see the uses 
of the mineral kingdom, in relieving bodily infirmity, 
dispelling pain, restoring health, and prolonging 
life. There are uses, too, though less obvious ones, 
in all that class of mineral productions which are 
called the precious gems. These include a great 
variety under the names of topaz, emeralds, gar- 
nets, rubies, sapphires, the components of which 
are well ascertained by chemical action. But the 
same action is said to have c dethroned the king of 
the precious gems, the diamond, by proving that it 
cannot resist fire, as all true gems do ; and it is now 
reduced to the class of combustibles, and is ranked 
with sulphur, amber and coal.' Dethroned, as it 
may be by chemists, it has not lost its rank among 
what are called riches, nor ceased to sparkle among 
the lovers of ornament. Yet, by the laws of nature 
it is no more than purest charcoal, and like it may 
be made to disappear by fire. 

51. We may intrude no farther within the pro- 
vince of the Naturalist. We have ventured so far, 
only to awaken the thoughtful mind to the truth, 
that in the regions which the light of the sun does 
not visit, and whose treasures are brought forth 
only by human labor, there are, as every where 
there are, claims to gratitude and to admiration, 
due only to that Power from which they could pro- 
ceed. 

To test the truth of these suggestions let us only 
suppose that the mineral kingdom had been denied 
to the earth, or that man had been denied the intel- 
ligence, or the physical capacity to avail himself of 
it, what would have been the condition of the hu- 
man family at the present day ? 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 33 

CHAPTER IX. 

Proofs from the Vegetable Kingdom* 

52. We are next to notice the works of the Crea 
tor in the vegetable kingdom. We include in this 
all that vegetates, that is, all that grows on, and 
has a connexion with, the earth, by roots. 

It has been shown, in a former chapter, in what 
way the inequality of days and nights, and the va- 
riation of the seasons are caused. It is seen that 
there is continued summer at the equator through- 
out the year ; and continued winter half the year, 
at the two polar regions, alternately ; and that every 
year is divided, in these regions, into one long day, 
and one long night. Between this hardly varying 
summer, and this perpetual winter, (either at one 
pole, or the other,) are found delightful spring, and 
grateful autumn ; fruitful summer, and cheerful win- 
ter. Within these balanced and tempered regious, 
are found, or may be, every vegetable production es- 
sential to human comfort, and welfare. We must 
leave to the researches of young aspiring minds to 
trace out the connexion, which necessarily exists, 
between this variety, and the enterprise, employ- 
ment, comfort, improvement, and happiness, of the 
human race. It would be an easy and pleasing labor 
to show, that from these sources may be drawn in- 
numerable proofs of the wisdom and goodness of the 
Creator, in adapting man to use the products of his 
bounty, and in adopting these products to his use. 
Still more pleasing would it be to demonstrate, that 
principally from this variety of vegetable product, 
the intercourse and consequent refinement of man- 
kind is directly, or remotely derived ; in short, that 
from the vegetable kingdom more than from any 
other, and all other sources together, in some form, 
varied as it may be by art and science, come all the 
commercial dealings of nations. But this is only in- 
cidental to the illustration intended to be made. 

53. It is not our purpose to intrude into the de- 
partment of natural history. This is a source, no 



34 MORAL CLASS EOOK. 

doubt, of pure religious emotion, and of pious rev- 
erence, in all its varieties and divisions. We only 
allude to it, to illustrate the object in view; we do 
not treat of it ; though we know not of any study 
which is better adapted to enlarge and elevate the 
mind, and improve the heart of man, than that of 
the natural world, when engaged in and pursued 
with the conviction, that we are perusing the vol- 
ume which God has opened for our instruction, in- 
tending thereby to disclose himself through means 
adapted to our earthly condition. 

54. The vegetable world has this in a manner 
peculiar to itself, that it is every where, in every 
grade, from first formation to decay, pleasing and 
beautiful to the human mind. Even those vegeta- 
ble substances which contain, by some unknown 
law, qualities which are poisonous, pain-imparting, 
or life-destroying to man, are nevertheless beautiful 
in their growth, and development. There are gen- 
eral laws prescribed, to the vegetable, as there are 
to the animal kingdom. To these laws all that 
is nourished by the eatth, refreshed and fed by 
moisture from the clouds, or warmed and expanded 
by the beams of the sun, must submit and conform. 
Yet so varied is vegetable being, that if its varieties 
were not organized and fitted to render submission 
and obedience, they could have no place in the 
scale of Creation. 

55. The most imposing object in the vegetable 
kingdom is the solemn forest. Single trees on a 
plain, or a sufficient number to form a grove, are 
objects of beauty, and consequently of pleasure. 
The dark close forest carries the mind back through 
an indefinite lapse of time, and conveys to it a sen- 
timent of the actual presence of the work of the 
Creator, as it came from his hand unchanged by 
any act of man. With this seeming stamp of origi- 
nality on it, yet the long enduring forest which ap- 
pears ever the same, is silently and hourly submit- 
ting to the laws of Nature ; ever varying and 
changing ; and though life, among its members, like 
life among the members of the human family, has 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 35 

its limits ; and within some definite term, not one of 
all that are seen will remain, yet it is still the same 
forest, to the human eye. From the most deep- 
rooted, and long enduring of this vast assembly, 
down to the many perfect vegetables which are in- 
visible to the naked eye, there are general laws of 
beginning, continuing, and ending the term of life. 
Yet, between these extremes there are many gen- 
era, or kinds, capable of precise and well under- 
stood classification. Among these classes each has 
its own order of being ; and these are again subdi- 
vided, and known by distinctions of form, internal 
structure, and in foliage, in flowers, in fruits, in 
juices, and fragrance. Each of them seems to have 
been given for some purpose pleasing, convenient, 
or necessary to the animal kingdom. This is the 
inexhaustible treasury for the supply of life, for the 
restoration of health, for the rejoicing of the senses, 
for daily necessities, and luxurious gratification. 

The continuance of vegetable life, unaided by 
human ingenuity is provided for by natural causes. 
The winds bear about the germinating influence ; 
yet, however close the neighborhood of various 
orders may be, there is no confusion from age to 
age, nor is the order of nature ever deranged or im- 
paired. It is this regularity of the laws of the Cre- 
ator, this adaption of vegetable to animal life, that 
should be numbered among the proofs of design in 
the system of creation. 

56. If we are struck with awe in raising our 
thoughts towards this incomprehensible Being that 
spoke the worlds of the firmament into existence 
and motion, so also should we be penetrated with 
reverence and gratitude, in beholding the grandeur, 
the utility, the variety, the delicacy, the beauty, 
the coloring and the fragrance of the natural robe 
of the earth. All this is the common experience of 
every observing mind. It is seen to be so, and the 
inquiry is no further pursued. But what is that 
principle of reproduction which belongs to all the 
vegetable kingdom ? How is it that the acorn buried 
in the cold ground, comes forth in a form which 
5* 



36 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

bears no resemblance to what was buried, and rises 
with recurring seasons, by the joint ministry of its 
mother earth, the refreshing- rains, the nursing air, 
and the far coming light and heat, till its roots, 
searching out their own fastenings, and its limbs 
gradually rising and expanding, can resist for ages 
the ordinary violence of the storm ? And has not 
every vegetable product, in some form, the germ of 
reproduction ? And by whose care is it that all are 
preserved, and continued, and fitted for duration, 
each one in its own line of succession, through 
thousands of years ? Can he who sees no divinity 
in the flower which he crushes beneath his foot, 
make by his own power, the simplest product of 
the vegetable race ? Can he, unaided by the ope- 
ration of the natural world, furnish himself with 
supplies for his craving wants, for a single day ? If 
the commands of the Deity given in the very Crea- 
tion itself, could be disobeyed by the teeming earth, 
how long would the mortal frame of ungrateful and 
thoughtless man, be saved from mingling with its 
kindred dust ? 



CHAPTER X. 

Proofs draivnfrom the Animal Kingdom, 

57. On a sphere so variegated as we know our 
own to be, and forming as we see it does, from its 
atmosphere, its waters, its minerals, its vegetables, 
a place fitted for use, and intended to be used, the 
purpose of Creation would seem to have failed, if it 
were not inhabited. All those animals which are 
inferior to man have been most diligently examined, 
and divided into classes by learned naturalists. The 
several genera and the species, belonging to each, 
have been accurately defined. It is foreign to our 
purpose to go into detail in this department of nat- 
ural history. The present purpose will be accom- 
plished if attention can be awakened to some gene- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 37 

ral truths, which prove in this, and in all other parts 
of created being, the original and continuing pres- 
ence of the Author of the Universe. 

58. The first fact that strikes us, is the exact or- 
der which prevails throughout animated being. 
Each family of the animal kingdom has its peculiar 
place assigned to it ; to that place it is perfectly 
adapted, and to none other. In that appropriate 
sphere it comes into being, finds its own share in 
the created world ; in that it continues, and in that 
it expires. All its instincts, propensities, faculties, 
pleasures, aversions, enmities, and wars, have their 
own peculiar objects. For each of these innumera- 
ble classes, from the elephant to the smallest mite 
that the microscope discloses to us on the dried 
fruit, or the purest lily's leaf, and in the transparent 
drop of spring water, there are laws of being, far 
more definite, and far more faithfully obeyed, than 
any which proud intellectual man can make and 
enforce. 

59. That life is a blessing, and intended to be so 
understood and enjoyed, is proved by the sense 
which every living thing seems, instinctively, to have 
of its value. The endless diversity which is found 
in preserving, and continuing life, is among the 
striking proofs of design. Is it not surprising, that 
among the thousands of varieties, which have been 
distinctly enumerated and classed, as belonging to 
the earth, and its waters, mingled together, as they 
seem to the human eye, that every species appears 
to know and preserve its place ; and each one to 
keep distinct from all others, from age to age ? 
What is it that preserves each one, and prevents 
that confusion, which would bring on, in a very 
short succession, one common ruin ? There are 
some general laws which seem to be common to all 
animal existence, and among them the necessity of 
food. From this fact it is certain, that all animated 
nature is subject to daily waste, which demands a 
daily supply. This demand appears to be intended 
to be satisfied in part, from the vegetable creation, 



38 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 



and in part from the fitness of some animals to fur- 
nish food for others. 

By this law, the created world seems to go 
through a successive change, by which animals of 
one kind become parts of others ; and the vegetable 
world makes the like contribution to animal life ; 
and the latter again makes its contribution to the 
common mother of all, which in due course of ex- 
ercising its functions, sends forth its preparation for 
the same revolutionary course. Certainly in all 
this, there is abundant proof, to every contempla- 
tive mind, of original purpose undeviatingly pur- 
sued. 

60. It has been objected, as inconsistent with 
divine benevolence that some animated beings 
are necessary to others as food. A moment's re- 
flection will show, that this objection cannot be 
maintained consistently with obvious laws. If some 
sorts of animals did not prey on others, the common 
food must be vegetable. Suppose all animals and 
insects were left to increase in numbers^ as we 
know they would do, and all were to find food from 
vegetable products, how long would it probably be, 
before all of them would perish for want of food ? 
Supposing existence to be a benefit, and considering 
the numbers that escape destruction, it will be found 
that this provision, so complained of, is consistent 
with general laws, and consequently with the be- 
nevolence of the Deity. In the ocean, if the same 
law as to food did not prevail, its inhabitants would 
soon come to an end. It is known that one fish 
may produce millions offish. If the increase were 
permitted according to this scale, and some fish were 
not consumed by others, it seems that the whole 
would perish for want of food. There is another 
remark worthy of notice ; all the animals, except 
the dog and the cat, which are domesticated for 
man's use, live on vegetable food. If they required 
living animals for food, man could not supply their 
wants ; or the inconveniences of keeping them 
would be too great to permit the use of them. 

61. If we descend from very general views, to 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 39 

some particulars, we shall see new proofs of this 
theory. The sagacity with which some animals 
are gifted is truly wonderful. The natural history 
of the spider, may be referred to for this. The mi- 
gration of birds is another proof. Certain birds, 
and quadrupeds, have a kind of knowledge to which 
even man is a stranger. Pigeons, and some domes- 
tic animals, when carried many miles from their 
homes, in covered conveyances, have a power of 
discerning the way back. The common bee knows 
the straight line to its hive, at all times, however 
far it may have wandered, and however often it 
may have crossed its own path. 

62. The senses of birds, and animals appear to 
have been given to them, for the spheres in which 
they are commanded to live, and move : and in 
which they are to wage war, fly from danger, or 
secure their food. Those who are curious in natu- 
ral history, will find abundant means of gratification 
in examining the works of the creation ; and the 
more minute the research is, the more will it serve 
to convince the mind, that GOD IS, and that all 
things are through and of HIM. We venture to as- 
sert, that this is a conviction from which the human 
mind cannot escape. And we may add, that this, 
thoughtfully pursued, leads inevitably to piety and 
reverence, and fits the mind to receive, as they 
should be received, the sublime and beautiful ex- 
pressions concerning the power of the ALMIGHTY, 
which are of so frequent recurrence in parts of the 
sacred volume. 

63. Let us examine two or three instances of 
these proofs, as found in the organization of animals. 
Seeing is necessary to all animals, because all of 
them are, in some way, connected with objects 
which are external to them. The law of vision de- 
pends on general laws, connected with light, and on 
the action to which rays of light are subjected, in 
passing through substances, which permit this pas- 
sage. It might, therefore, seem to us, that there 
must be one sort of construction of the eye adapted 
to act with reference to one uniform and invariable 



40 MORAL CLASS BOOK* 

law of nature. The principle on which vision de- 
pends must be the same, in all eyes, that is, on 
having the image of the object seen, transferred 
through some medium to the sensitive nerve adapted 
to receive it. The general law, therefore, is this, 
the existence of the object seen must be in such a 
relation to the animal seeing it, that its image can 
be impressed, by the help of light, on the proper 
space in the interior of the eye. But that which 
excites our wonder is, the endless variety, among 
the different orders of being, by which the eye is 
adapted to its duty, and the means given to preserve 
it, in a fit state for use. The exceeding sensitive- 
ness of the eye would expose it to irreparable inju- 
ry, and it might soon be destroyed, if such means 
were not given. In the human form, in which only 
the hand appears, the injuries to the eye may be 
remedied by the use of the hand. 

64. Among animals which have not that member, 
nature has provided other means to this end. Birds, 
generally, and many animals, and the horse among 
others, have a third eye-lid, the constant action of 
which may be easily observed, and so curiously 
adapted to use, that it can be passed over the outer 
surface of the eye in almost every instant, and, by 
its action, all offending substances are wiped away. 
On examination it is found, that this eye-lid moves 
on mechanical principles well understood, but in 
this instance marvellously applied. 

65. The keenness of vision in birds of prey, which 
see at very great distances, and also at very short 
ones, requires another conformity to the general 
law. The eye of these animals is, therefore, so 
constructed, that it can by means of pliable scales 
on the outside of the ball of the eye, and by muscles 
drawn over them, so diminish, or enlarge the size 
of the eye, that it will perform its duty as to an ob- 
ject, however near, or distant it may be. This 
power of vision enables birds to see, from their airy 
elevation, far beyond the reach of the human eye, 
over a wide extent. They discern their food, and, 
with surprising sagacity, they submit themselves to 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 41 

the gravitating power, and fall, unharmed, to the 
earth's surface, with a rapidity which would seem 
to be necessarily followed by destruction from the 
contact. This keenness of vision seems to enable 
birds that prey only on perishing animal substance, 
to know, whether the object seen is living or dead, 
though the position of the body may be the same in 
either case. 

66. Another variation is seen in the fixed eye of 
the insect races ; and in the position of it. One or 
two instances will sufficiently illustrate this. In the 
common fly are seen two small round projections 
at the side of the head. These projections contain 
many thousands of lenses disposed in rows, each 
one of which is capable of transmitting an impres- 
sion of outward objects. A German naturalist 
counted 62S6 in the two eyes of a silk worm. Anoth- 
er naturalist counted 14000 in the eyes of a drone 
fly, 27000 in the eyes of a dragon fly. It has been 
proved by actual experiment with the help of 
glasses, that each one of these lenses was capable 
of receiving an independent and distinct impression. 
The inference seems necessarily to be. that the 
retina of these insects may receive, at the same 
time, some thousands of impressions without any 
confusion : which is far more wonderful than the 
single impression made on the retina of our own 
species, and on those of other animals, who have 
two eyes with a retina for each. 

67. As we have no other purpose than to awaken 
curiosity and thought in relation to the natural 
world, we must leave this inexhaustible subject to 
the inquiring and well disposed. They may feel as- 
sured, that the thoughtless hours which they pass 
in early life, may be made instructive and happy, 
if they will examine the natural world, not as a 
mere show, but as proofs of that Power and Benevo- 
lence by which themselves, and the minutest in- 
sects, were alike gifted with existence. 



42 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

CHAPTER XI. 

Proofs that the Existence of Man is a necessary part of the 

Creation. 

68: Doubtless this globe might have performed 
its annual circuit, and its diurnal revolutions if its 
surface had been composed of the known expanse 
of waters, and of barren waste on the land. It 
might have done the same, if the land had been 
made, as now it is, capable of producing vegetable 
beings ; and showing only on every continent and 
on every isle, an enduring forest, and silence un- 
broken excepting by the roar of waters, the report 
of the electric fluid, the passing of the storms, and 
the crush of falling trees. It might have done the 
same if all animal life inferior to man, had existed 
as now it does, and the whole earth been subjected 
to the dominion, which brute force and instinct 
might have made for themselves. Had this been 
so, to what end would the mineral kingdom have 
been created ? Why should the magnet have been 
formed ? Why should the element of fire, whatever 
that may be, have been associated in the system ? 
Should the waters have been made to flow to the 
ocean, and to return thence, through the atmos- 
phere, and the earth, to renew their flow, only to 
slake the thirst of the beasts of the forest, or, de- 
scending in rains, to perpetuate useless vegetation? 
Why should the action of matter upon matter, and 
why should the wonderful results of that action, 
have been made inherent, and discoverable in mat- 
ter ? Why should metals have been made fusible 
and malleable, and adapted to any variety of form; 
why should the power of the screw, of the pulley, 
of the wedge, have been imparted to matter ? Why 
should metals have been made fit to receive impres- 
sions and thereby to make known invisible thought, 
and transmit the action of the mind through succes- 
sive ages ? Why was matter made fit to be formed 
into means of conveyance over the pathless ocean ; 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 43 

and why were the products found upon and beneath 
the earth's surface, adapted to displace the forest, and 
to occupy its space with cultivated fields, with spa- 
cious and magnificent cities ? If there were no such 
being as man, all these qualities of matter would 
have been given without use ; and without the 
knowledge of their existence. If man had not been 
created, what being would have lived to admire and 
reverence the power, wisdom, and goodness of the 
Deity ? It seems then to follow, from the attributes 
which we must ascribe to Him, that such a being 
as man necessarily belongs to this system. It may 
be inferred from like principles, that the worlds 
which we see from our own comparatively humble 
one, bear some description of intelligent minds, 
however varied they may be from our own, whose 
duty and whose employment it may be to know, to 
acknowledge, and to render homage to the AL- 
MIGHTY SOVEREIGN OF THE UNIVERSE. 

69. Reason, by which guide only we are attempt- 
ing now to find our way, demonstrates, that man 
belongs to the system which he is made capable of 
perceiving. If we are convinced of this truth ; if 
we see that all things animate and inanimate other 
than man, have their proper places of action, and 
exist therein pursuant to laws which are certain, 
defined, and which cannot be departed from ; are 
there not laws for man also, in his sphere of action? 
As we know him to be blessed with understanding, 
is not that superior gift intended to enable him to 
search out these laws, and to find his own welfare 
in rendering his obedience to them ? 

In the examination of man's nature we shall find 
new proofs of the wisdom and goodness of the Cre- 
ator ; and clearly discern man's affinity to some su- 
perior order of being to any which he knows on 
earth. 



44 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

CHAPTER XIL 

Proofs drawn from Human Organization. 

70. Man, as he is presented to the organ of sight, 
is distinguished from all other animals by his form. 
He is the only one who is erect, and capable of so 
sustaining and moving himself. All animals but 
man have a natural, permament covering on the 
skin. To all others an artificial covering is an in- 
cumbrance ; to man it is indispensable ; and he only 
is formed with the hand capable of providing it. 
Figure, varying color, and eloquent expression, be- 
long only to the human face ; though some few an- 
imals are supposed, like man, to shed tears in suffer- 
ing, he only can smile, and laugh. Man can, and 
no other animal can invent artificial means, and use 
them ; and he only can by such means, lengthen the 
power of his arm, and make himself felt and feared, 
by blows and wounds, sent to a far distance. 

71 . Man alone avails himself of the swiftness, the 
strength, and productiveness of other animals. 
Others destroy the living to make them useful, man 
cherishes the living to make them useful to him. 
Inventive power, the need of it, physical force and 
formation necessary to apply it, are not seen in any 
other living being as in man. He is the only ani- 
mal who is gifted with ability to make the earth 
yield its increase, or to fashion natural substances 
to his own use, by changing or modifying their orig- 
inal forms. There is something of superiority and 
majesty in the form and natural being of man, which 
other animals instinctively acknowledge ; and every 
one of the inferior grades shrinks before the search- 
ing of his eye. He is distinguished from all other 
animals in this also, that he is the only animal of 
the earth, who can pass as well on the ocean as on 
the land. But the eminent distinction of man over 
all is, the power of uttering articulate sounds, and 
of communicating thereby intelligible thought. By 
this power he makes known his wants, his suffer- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 45 

ings, his hopes, his fears, his happiness. By this 
he can instruct, warn, please, command, and terri- 
fy ; by this, and in one effort, he can move assem- 
bled thousands to admire, believe, hate, honor, or 
pity ; to rush on to acts of virtue or of crime ; and 
even to self destruction. 

72. Examined as to his interior frame and con- 
struction, he is found to be in whole, and every mi- 
nute part, a necessary component of the material 
world, and designed to act on it, and to be acted up- 
on by it ; and in such variety of modes as could 
only be conceived by omniscience, and carried into 
effect by a power to which the human mind cannot 
imagine any limit. 

Within the exterior surface of man, some few 
only of the many proofs of his origin, will be men- 
tioned. His erect form must be so put together as 
to resist that tendency downwards, which operates 
on all particles of matter in lines at right angles to 
the surface of the earth. This invariable law is 
wonderfully shown in the case of the human frame, 
comparing the volume of which it is composed, with 
the base on which it securely rests, and moves. 
His head, therefore, must be sustained in the straight 
line of his frame ; and yet if it were so sustained, 
and were immovable in its place, what a difference 
would it make in human welfare ? The head, con- 
taining the supposed seat of thought, is provided 
with an ornamental covering of hair, and an arched 
covering of bone, capable of defending the brain 
from all serious injury in the common accidents of 
life. Heavy as the head is, it is placed so lightly 
and so firmly on the summit of the spine, and there 
adapted to move so easily, and effectively, that al- 
though it does move, by means of this pivot, and a 
ball and socket joint, forewards and backwards, and 
from side to. side, millions and millions of times, and 
even through a long life, no one, in sound health, 
ever felt a sensation in the act of moving, in the 
places where this ability to move resides. That 
which is astonishing is, that through this very pivot 
of motion, the connexion from the brain is carried 



46 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

down through the whole extent of the spine or 
backbone. This marrow, which may not be im- 
properly regarded as a continuation of the brain, 
sends forth nerves through the openings of the 
jointed and connected bones, which contain and pro- 
tect it. We can see in other animals, how the spine 
may be divided into joints, since they are not erect. 
Yet, necessary as a straight solid support seems to 
be from the earth upwards, the human spine has its 
flexible divisions so as to enable man to throw him- 
self into all the forms which his nature requires. 
At each part of the human frame where we can 
comprehend its form and its uses, it seems to us the 
most excellent, until we proceed to another, which 
claims the like pre-eminence for its purpose. 

73. The connexion of the spine with the hips, 
and these with the lower limbs, and the feet with 
these, is more within the reach of observation, and 
every one may easily inform himself of the utility 
and fitness of these to their obvious design. The 
junction of the arms to the main bones of the upper 
part of the body, and the durable protection, which 
the heart and lungs have received, show how skil- 
fully man is framed ; while below the breast there 
are no bones, for reasons which every one must 
perceive, who attends to the positions into which 
he does, and must throw himself, almost every hour 
of his life. No one can remain ignorant of the beau- 
ty and utility of the human form in the action of the 
arms and hands, who will give them even the 
slightest observation ; and every one who will no- 
tice the form of his own hand, its uses, and its ad- 
mirable connexion with the wrist,. and its facility of 
motion, must be convinced that such organization 
could only have sprung from a mind capable of de- 
signing and of executing designs. It would enlarge 
this volume into one on natural history, if minute 
anatomical descriptions were introduced : we will 
therefore only further add, as to the human arm 
and hand, this: let any one look around him and 
consider the objects within his view, and decide for 
himself, what the condition of mankind would have 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 47 

been, if the human arm and hand had not been 
formed and given to man, as we see them to be. 
When this inquiry has been entered upon, let him 
follow it out, and see where it will lead him. 

74. The bony frame of the human figure would 
be a motionless incumbrance if it were not for the 
muscles which cover it, and which fill up, and give 
the beauty of shape, which we find in it. These 
bands, and strings, are so strong, and so curiously 
placed, and so firmly united- with the bones, that 
they move the whole, or any part of our machine of 
bones, yet so easily, that the sensation of motion, 
if felt at all, is always a pleasure in healthy persons, 
unless overdone, or too long continued. The me- 
chanical operation of the muscles on the bones, we 
can comprehend ; but that which we cannot com- 
prehend, and which is utterly inconceivable is, the 
connexion between the will and the muscles, and 
the instantaneous and exact obedience which they 
render to that sovereign power. 

75. That part of the human frame which has the 
common name of breast, and that of thorax in sci- 
ence, from the Latin thorax (breast), contains the 
seat of action on which human life directly depends. 
Here are the lungs, which by the avenue of the 
wind-pipe, receive about 48000 cubic inches of air 
every hour in successive respirations. In the lungs 
the air comes immediately in contact with the 
blood ; and it is computed that the whole mass of 
blood, which may be 50 pounds, or five gallons, re- 
ceives, fourteen times within the hour, the life-giv- 
ing impulse of the air. It is supposed that the 
whole mass of blood passes through the heart once 
in every four minutes. From this fact some con- 
ception may be formed of the strength of the me- 
chanical action of the heart, which must be suffi- 
cient to impel this mass through all the arteries and 
veins of the system, within that space of time. 

76. There, also, is that indescribable power con- 
tained in the stomach, (an oblong globular sack of 
eight or ten inches in length, and five or six in depth, 
which is capable of contraction and expansion) 

6* 



48 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

whereby the process is continually going on, to con- 
vert the foreign substances passed into it, into liv- 
ing, active, sensitive and perceptive being. In this 
small cavity of the breast, everything has its appro- 
priate place, and its precise duty, and upon the har- 
monious action of each and every one, and unceas- 
ingly, that which we call life, depends; and that, 
which is the most admirable of all is, that the vital 
action of the whole system goes on independently 
of man's will ; and entirely beyond its control. All 
who have read Paley will remember his striking re- 
mark, that the action of the vital organs is not con- 
fided to man's care. His ignorance, or improvi- 
dence, if it were so, might soon, and easily, close 
his career. 

77. We have no room to follow out the conse- 
quences of this mechanical action. But as there 
will be occasion to refer to human form and move- 
ment, in other places, for other purposes, we must 
notice the craving want of the stomach that daily 
returns upon it ; that it can and does receive with 
pleasure, and impunity, a given quantity of food in 
a given time ; that the system is known to lose 
more than half of all it takes in as food, through its 
three hundred thousand millions of pores of the skin, 
in every twenty-four hours : that continued excess 
in quantity, is the parent of pain, suffering, disease, 
and -death : that certain substances, are certain 
and immediate death ; and that certain others, 
though received through habit, and from craving 
desire, will occasion a slow, though as certain 
death, involving the gradual destruction of the in- 
tellectual power, the moral sense, and of all that 
distinguishes men from brutes. This criminal in- 
dulgence places man far below the brutes, since 
they are incapable of such depravity. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 49 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Proofs drawn from the Senses. 

78. It is to the senses of man that we come with 
pleasure, in contemplating the power and goodness 
of the Creator. The eye is commonly selected as 
the most striking evidence of design, and is em- 
phatically so, as a part of the human system. We 
cannot undertake to describe this delicate organ 
for any other purpose than the general one of ren- 
dering just homage to the Creator, and of warning 
all of the interest which they have in knowing its 
delicacy, and of preserving it in a sound condition ; 
and because its action is open in some degree to 
common observation. It is first to be noticed, that 
the bones which project around the eye, seem to 
be intended to preserve it from exterior injury. 
The eyelids are given to close at every intimation 
of danger, and to guard the eye while we sleep. 
Between the eyelids, in the open eye, in the exte- 
rior front, the first thing we see is the cornea. 
This word is taken from the Latin cornu (horn), be- 
cause this part of the eye resembles horn. This is 
a transparent substance through which light passes 
into the eye. The cornea is continued all around 
the globe of the eye ; it is only in the front part that 
it is so called ; the continuation around the eye is 
known by the name of sclerotica, from a Greek 
word which signifies hardness. As all the coats of 
the eye but this are soft, and might lose their form, 
this hardness seems necessary to preserve it. 

79. Immediately behind the cornea is a distinct 
separate part called the aqueous humor, from the 
Latin aqua (water), which means, merely, a watery 
liquid. Immediately behind this humor is the pupil, 
(commonly called apple of the eye) whichisa round 
dark spot which every one can see with the help 
of a mirror. The word pupil has no descriptive 
meaning. It is through this dark spot that the 



60 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

light which comes in at the cornea, passes still fur- 
ther into the eye. 

80. That colored circle which surrounds the pu- 
pil (or apple) and which is either black, hazle, 
grey, or blue, and from which the eye has its color, 
is called the iris, which word is the Latin for rain- 
bow. The iris is supposed to have the power of 
compressing the pupil of the eye by means of mi- 
nute muscles, or permitting its expansion by relax- 
ing these muscles, so as to adapt the pupil to receive 
more or less light, as may be necessary ; this action 
of the iris seems to go on mechanically, and without 
any operation of the will, as any one may know 
who goes from a lighted room into a dark one. In 
such case, one sees better in a few moments, which 
is occasioned by the spontaneous action of the iris 
in providing for the expansion of the pupil. The 
iris extends also, all around the globe of the eye, 
inside the sclerotica, but it loses its name after it 
leaves the front of the eye, and is called ehoroides, 
which name is from two Greek words which mean 
a membrane enclosing something. 

81. Immediately behind the pupil lies the crys- 
talline lens. A common burning glass or magnify- 
ing glass, is a lens, from the Latin word lens. 
Crystalline (nearly the same word in Latin, Greek, 
and English) means transparent or clear. This 
lens, in the human eye, is a remarkable substance ; 
it is much easier to say what sort of substance it is 
not, than to say what it is. Its place is in the front 
centre of the vitreous humor, which is so named 
from the word vitrum (glass), because it resembles 
melted glass. This humor or liquid fills all the res- 
idue of the ball, until it comes in contact with the 
nerve, called the optic nerve, from a Greek word 
meaning vision. 

82. This nerve is also called the retina, from 
rete (a net). The retina is the seat of vision ; that 
is, it is the part of the eye on which the figure of 
the objects seen is pictured. The retina is the ex- 
pansion of the nerve which comes from the brain in 
a round form about the size of a wheat straw, and 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 51 

as soon as it enters the eye through the opening 
made for it in the back part of the eye, it expands in- 
to this minutely delicate net-work, and encloses the 
vitreous humor, precisely as a globular bottle with a 
solid neck to it, expands from the neck. To see an 
object there must be the cornea, the aqueous humor, 
the pupil, the crystalline lens, the vitreous humor, 
and the retina, and all of them must be in a condi- 
tion to perform their several offices. All of them 
are of such indescribable delicacy, that it is aston- 
ishing they can be preserved for a single day: how 
much more so is it, that they are so generally pre- 
served through all the vicissitudes of life, even to 
old age. This description of the eye is very general, 
and very simple. No attempt is made to describe 
the more minute parts, their nerves, blood-vessels, 
connexion of parts, general sympathy of the parts ; 
even so far as is known by anatomists. By the 
most skilful of them, many parts of the eye are very 
imperfectly understood. 

83. Thus far human knowledge goes, and no far- 
ther. By what law is it that the eye is so formed 
that it can see ? What is seeing ? How is it that 
the impression of a figure on the retina conveys a 
clear and distinct perception to the mind, and makes 
the object so perceived a subject of memory, and of 
thought ? Who but that Being who framed and pre- 
serves the eye, can answer this ? 

84. The rapid, easy and unfelt motion of the eye, 
is also a matter of grateful wonder. In the strong 
and sound, the eye is kept in front, and in its proper 
place by soft substances, which yield the liquid mat- 
ter necessary to its action ; and the motion depends 
on muscles which turn the eye in every. direction 
Different persons have different powers of vision ; 
it may be thence inferred, that other senses differ. 
When disease overtakes us, and the waste of the 
body cannot be supplied, this is felt in the eye, as 
elsewhere, and the globe of the eye sinks within 
the socket. 

85. The philosophical theory of vision, as now re- 
ceived in the world, is this : Every object seen, re- 



52 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

fleets or emits rays of light. These rays, passing 
through the several departments of the eye, make 
the figure of the object seen, to fall on the retina in 
an inverted form. In all representations of vision, 
the rays of light are drawn from the object to the 
retina. Color too, is said to depend on the manner 
in which rays of light act on the objects which ap- 
pear colored to our eye. There is no doubt that 
light is necessary to see the figure, and the color, of 
objects. But some one may hereafter be bold 
enough td doubt, whether this theory of vision is 
satisfactory. May not the eye have a power of 
vision to which light is necessary to be sure, but of 
which light is not the cause ? When one is watch- 
ing the coming on of the morning, or the gradual 
return of night, there is no gradual change in the 
coloring of objects. It is not satisfactory to common 
sense, that objects and persons well known to us, 
are not the same even in color in the night, and in 
the day time. We are certain of this, that when 
there is light from the sun, or light from artificial 
means, the eye can and does take impressions on 
the retina of external objects, and that they go 
thence into the mind. What is doubted is this, 
that rays of light are reflected from, or emitted by 
every object that is seen ; and that their rays must 
fall on the retina to make it seen. 

86. It is said, by an eminent modern philosopher, 
who is still living, that particles of light pass by 
any fixed point at the rate of 500 millions of millions 
of times in a single second; and that it is by such 
movements of light, communicated to the eye, that 
vision is effected. That motion of light at the rate 
of 482 millions of millions of times produces the sen- 
sation of redness ; 542 millions of millions of times 
in a second produces the sensation of yellowness ; 
and that motion of light at the rate of 707 millions 
of millions of times in a second, produces that of 
violet. 

If it be proved, or must be admitted, that the ac- 
tion of light does make color, is there not a picture of 
every object seen, on the retina ; and how can rays 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 53 

of light passing from that object, make that picture? 
May it not be that the eye has a power somewhat 
analogous to the reflection of a mirror ; and that 
external objects pictured on the retina, are, in some 
incomprehensible manner, reflected to the mind ? 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Further Proofs from the Senses. 

87. The sense of hearing is even less understood 
than that of vision ; the uses of the organs of this 
sense are more difficult to comprehend ; and it is 
not easy to make known the little that is compre- 
hended, by words, or even by the use of drawings. 
It will be sufficient for the present purpose, that is to 
prove the certainty of design, or of means used to 
an end, to advert to a quality of the common air 
which every one is familiar with, viz. that by ex- 
erting the human voice through a common trumpet, 
it can be sent to a far greater distance than when 
committed to the air without using such an instru- 
ment. The ear has some, but a very slight re- 
semblance to a trumpet inverted. That part which 
is visible, seems to be intended in men, and ani- 
mals, to collect sound, and conduct it inward, until 
it strikes on a thin membrane, called the tympanum, 
drawn across the outward end of the barrel or drum 
of the ear ; tympanum is from a Latin word meaning 
drum. Between this membrane and an interior 
one in the hollow of the ear, there are four very 
small bones which seem to connect the two mem- 
branes. The use of these bones, in conducting 
sound is not known ; one of them is connected by 
one end with the tympanum, and with the second 
at the other end, and this with the third, and that 
with the fourth and this with the inner membrane, 
drawn across another space, and within or behind 
this membrane, is a cavity deeply encompassed with 
the bone of the skull, containing a liquid, wherein 



54 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

the auditory nerve, (from audire, to hear), proceed- 
ing from the brain, developes itself, much in the 
same way as does the optic nerve in the eye. 

88. To have the perception of hearing sound, it 
must pass through the ear to this nerve, and 
through it the effect is made on the mind. When 
we consider what the variety, and the number, of 
sounds are, which must affect this organ, in the or- 
dinary purposes of life, and its distinguishing power, 
and its nice adaptation to the end designed, we are 
left in no doubt as to the intelligence which its mere 
contrivance required. But however faithfully ana- 
tomical investigation may disclose the component 
parts of the ear, it does not, nor can any investiga- 
tion which art or science has hitherto made, bring 
the least conception of the nature of hearing to our 
minds. How sound affects that organization, and 
how it communicates with the mind, is incompre- 
hensible. 

89. The commonly received theory of hearing is 
very unsatisfactory. Particles of air, it is said, 
being affected by some impulse given by the organs 
used in speaking, or any other sound-making agent, 
communicate that impulse to adjoining particles of 
air, and they to others, and so on, until those which 
are in contact with the tympanum affect it, and 
thus sound goes to the brain. That air is necessa- 
ry to the conveyance of sound every where, above 
the surface of water ; and that water is necessary 
to the conveyance of sound made in water, and 
that sound glides along the smooth surface of water 
to a greater distance than it can on the surface of 
the ground, every body knows. But that sound is 
nothing but an agitation of the air it is difficult to 
believe. When one is speaking to a numerous as- 
sembly in a large apartment, he may make himself 
distinctly heard, and understood, even in the most 
rapid and minute articulation of which he is capable, 
by those persons who are most remote from him. 
But no effort of his lungs would affect, in the least 
degree, the lightest substance which floats in the 
air, at one half, or perhaps one quarter, of that dis- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 55 

tance. So one may make a violent agitation of all 
the air in a large apartment by swinging a door 
backwards and forwards, but he will make thereby 
no sound. Sound can be made to pass from one 
apartment to another, through a solid wall, and 
when the air on one side of it cannot receive any 
impulse from the air on the other. Sound passes 
through wood, metals, and other substances, with 
far greater rapidity than through air or water. 
And through some it cannot pass. 

90. Is there then something in nature, hitherto 
unknown, which is sound ; as there may be some- 
thing, which is vision ? That human ingenuity has 
gone no further as yet, in the philosophy of sound 
and vision, is no reproach to it. Looking back on 
its inventions and discoveries, it would be some re- 
proach to it to assume, that it has attained its ut- 
most limits on these subjects. 

91. The other senses must be passed over with a 
few words. That of feeling seems to be diffused 
throughout the system. The sensation is always 
local, whether in the extremities, in the organs of 
sense, or in the brain itself. So also tasting and 
smelling are local. The connection between these 
and the mind is alike hidden from us. The only 
similarity between these three senses, and those 
of seeing and hearing is, that as to the three for- 
mer, perception has a locality in the system, that 
is, feeling is every where, tasting is in the organs 
of taste, smelling is in the organs assigned to give 
that perception, but the organs of seeing and hear- 
ing give no organic sensation, and we only learn 
from experience that it is the eye that sees, and the 
ear that hears. The action of the eye, and of the 
ear, depends upon no volitions of our own. If they 
were physically touched by the objects of which they 
convey notice to the mind, as the other senses seem 
to be, would they not from their wonderful compli- 
cation and delicacy of structure, soon wear out, and 
become unfit for their offices ? Is there not some- 
thing which may be called intellectual in the action 
of these two senses ? But these are inquiries not 






56 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

necessary to the present purposes, if they are de- 
serving of any notice. 

92. If the purpose in view, thus far, has been 
sufficiently accomplished, to make that purpose un- 
derstood, it has been shown, that there is a created 
material universe, of which man constitutes a part. 
That he is curiously and wonderfully prepared and 
designed to act on this universe, and that it is, in 
like manner, prepared and designed to act on him. 
There is reason to believe, from what we know him 
to have been able to do in relation to this material 
system, that there is no part of it with which he 
cannot connect himself to some useful purpose. 
Surely this is true as to all things and beings on 
earth, to which he has access. It is even true as 
to the far distant luminaries of the firmament. He 
has made himself acquainted with the laws which 
govern them. He has made them, millions of miles 
from him as they are, minister to his necessities, 
his wants, and his pleasures. They make known 
to him the precise point on which he happens to be 
on the surface of his own little globe, the existence 
of which is perhaps unnoticed and unknown to the 
intelligent beings who may inhabit them. They 
have served him to enlarge his mind, to invent rules 
of science, and they have served him to elevate his 
conceptions, and to raise himself to that high station 
in the scale of being, mortal as he is, which permits 
him to know, and to adore, and to render his humble 
tribute to the infinite and awful MIND, of whom, 
and through whom, all things are ordained. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Proofs from Human Intellect. 

93. We have endeavored to find man's place in 
the material world. We have next to consider him 
in his intellectual character. In this respect it will 
appear, that his material formation, and that of his 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 57 

mind, have an intimate and necessary connexion. 
Whatever the mind may be, and in whatsoever 
manner it is connected with its material dwelling** 
place, it does not display its powers until it has 
been acted upon by the senses. This fact has led 
to the belief in the materiality of the mind, and has 
been the subject of many refined discussions. It is 
certain that the physical and mental action of one 
human being, is known to any other by and through 
the senses only. These truths force on us the ne- 
cessity of considering the action of the senses in 
connexion with, and inseparably from, what is 
known of the qualities of the mind. This will be 
found to be at best a very limited knowledge. 

94. The human mind has been the subject of 
many learned works. These have been given to 
the world at different periods. Each successive 
author has had the opportunity of studying the the- 
ories of his predecessors, and of adopting, modi- 
fying, disproving, or rejecting them, and of at- 
tempting to establish his own. It is not intended 
to compare different systems, if the ability to do 
this could be assumed, nor to pronounce which of 
them should be received, nor which of them should 
be rejected. All of them are far too learned, and 
refined, for elementary instruction. It is proposed, 
as sufficient for the present object, to invite those 
who are of competent years to do it, to examine 
their own intellectual acts as the simplest and easi- 
est, and perhaps, the most satisfactory mode of 
instruction. 

95. No one knows how his earliest steps in the 
acquirement of knowledge were taken ; but he 
knows what the fact is with his juniors, and he in- 
fers truly, that his own course must have been 
similar. It is thus known to every one, that in 
earliest infancy the human being is, of all animals, 
the most helpless : that months elapse before there 
is any apparent sensation, but that which arises 
from the want of food, or a sense of suffering. The 
eye and the ear are, for a long time, insensible, and 
when age enough is obtained to put these organs 



58 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

to use, they have every thing, apparently, to learn. 
The discrimination between different sounds, and 
the knowledge of figure, magnitude, color and dis- 
tance of external objects, are very slowly obtained, 
and only by experiments often repeated. Less is 
known of the acquirements of the other senses, ex- 
cepting, that the sense of feeling appears to be 
always on the alert, and that its disagreeable action 
is frequently manifested. 

96. After some few years, all the senses appear 
to have undergone the discipline of experience to the 
effect of answering the common purposes of life. 
What the senses have attained to by experience, 
must depend on the sort of experience, or on the 
employment in which they have been engaged. 
The senses of a number of young persons who are 
equally gifted by nature in this respect, will acquire 
different habits, according to the accidental cir- 
cumstances, in which they are placed. Children 
brought up in a city, those who have been only in 
a small village, those who have been at school, and 
those who have been employed in manual labor, 
will have their senses very differently disciplined. 
If each of these were brought together, and acted 
upon at the same time, by the same causes, each 
class would be differently affected, and the individ- 
uals of the same class would be affected in different 
degrees. The senses, therefore, may be said to be 
subjects of instruction from experience, from early 
infancy. 

97. The only proposition which it is necessary to 
establish is, that the senses are subjects of disci- 
pline and of habit in every person, whatever his 
vocations in life may be. Another proposition 
which is self-evident is, that all knowledge of ex- 
ternal objects, and substajices, must be obtained 
through the senses. Those who are blind from 
birth, cannot have any knowledge of forms, nor of 
comparative distances, except the imperfect knowl- 
edge which the other senses give; and they must 
be entirely ignorant of color, and of all other ac- 
quirements to which the use of the eye is indispen- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 59 

sable. The deaf, from birth, must be entirely 
ignorant of all knowledge of sounds. The senses 
are, therefore, necessary avenues of knowledge to 
the mind. 

98. It must be admitted, then, that the action 
of the senses is indispensable to the development 
of the mind. It does not follow from this well 
known fact, that the mind is not independent in 
itself, of material organization. One is apt to sup- 
pose that the mind is a perfect independent being, 
and is so from the commencement of life. It is quite 
as reasonable to suppose that the mind expands, 
and is progressive, in conformity to the action made 
on it, first through the senses, and then by its own 
operation. 

99. It is not improbable that the soul, or mind, 
or spirit (meaning by these terms the same thing, 
that is, the immortal part of our being) is generally 
taken to be something perfect in its own nature, 
which takes up its residence in the human frame 
when life begins, and continues that residence, 
while life remains. 

It is not inconsistent with some analogies in na- 
ture, that the principle of the soul is originally given 
to every human being, and that the action of life 
developes and makes it whatsoever it becomes. It 
is not more difficult to suppose that the Creator in- 
tended that the soul of man should take its charac- 
ter from the experience of life, than to suppose that 
it is given, at first, a separate, independent perfect 
being, and that it goes through no change from 
birth till death. On the contrary, it accords with 
our perceptions of moral accountability, that the 
immortal part of man should be adapted to its future 
state, in the scenes of this life. At the same time, 
it may be supposed that the righteous Judge of all 
the earth, exacts no accountability, but according 
to the means enjoyed of finding out duty, and ac- 
cording to the obedience, or disobedience, which 
follows a knowledge of it. If this supposition be 
admissible, it may reconcile some disputed points, 
and may support the proposition which is to be 
7* 



60 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

illustrated, viz. that the capacity to learn the law 
is given, and that neglect of it, refusal to follow it, 
or voluntary breach of it, are the omissions and 
acts for which we shall be held accountable. 
Whether this supposition be well or ill founded, and 
entitled to respect or not, still the truth as to the 
action of the senses on the mind, is to be sought 
out. From this source and from what is known of 
the operations of the mind on the materials which 
the senses transfer to it, must be rested the sum of 
all knowledge on this subject. 

100. It is certain from observing those who are 
deprived of one, or more of the senses, that their 
agency is indispensable to the development of the 
faculties of the mind. It is also certain, that the 
senses have a kind of community among themselves. 
If the sense of smelling be entirely obstructed, that 
of tasting seems to be equally so. Sight and touch 
have a like community. The sense of hearing is 
connected with organs, with which that sense has 
no apparent physical connexion. It is connected 
with sight, and sight is often indispensable in de- 
ciding from what place sound proceeds. This is 
curiously exemplified in the art of ventriloquism. 
The deaf, are dumb, because they cannot imitate 
sounds. But the senses which remain, render some 
services which belong to those which are lost, or 
not given. The blind hear, and touch, better than 
those who see. The deaf and dumb touch and see, 
more perfectly than those who have all the senses. 
It is also certain that the senses are the subjects of 
discipline and of habit. No doubt the retina of 
every eye, which is perfect, has precisely the same 
picture made on it, which is made by the same ob- 
ject, on every other perfect eye. But the report 
made of that picture to the mind, depends on the 
discipline and habit of the eye, and on the habit of 
the mind in receiving, and using, that report. 

101. Let us suppose that a military chief, a hus- 
bandman, a mathematician, the captain of a ship 
of war, and a physician, are examining, from the 
same point of vision, a numerous body of soldiery, 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 61 

prepared for the exercise of their vocation ; each 
of these individuals wouid have the same picture 
made on the retina, but each of them would have 
very different perceptions, and very different in- 
tellectual action from this picture. From this truth 
it follows, that the eye and mind are disciplined by 
habit. Suppose the same persons are equally per- 
fect in the sense of hearing, and that all of them 
hear the same sound at the same time. Each of 
them would have the like quantity of the same sort 
of action, on the organ of hearing, but the ear of 
each would notice and report to the mind, according 
to the habit of that sense, and according to the use 
which the mind has been habituated to make of the 
report derived through that sense. 

102. The senses of individuals vary, not only in 
consequence of habitual discipline, but also, in their 
natural and original formation. Some persons 
whose organs of vision are apparently perfect, and 
who see as far and as clearly as any do, cannot dis- 
tinguish colors ; or only very imperfectly. The 
same sounds are to some ears sweet and harmo- 
nious music, to others indifferent, and to others dis- 
agreeable. The sense of hearing is variously af- 
fected by the common tones of voice. The same 
tones are fascinating, indifferent, or disgusting, ac- 
cording to the ear on which they fall. 

103. The inference to be drawn from such facts, 
seems to be this, that the connexion which is formed 
between the senses, and the mind, depends on two 
things, the original formation of the senses, as to 
perfection, or the falling short of it; and on the 
habits which have been formed in using them. 
The mind is, what its original faculties and powers, 
its own discipline and habits, in attending to the 
reports of the senses ; and its power and habits in 
retaining and using these reports, have made it to 
be. This is all that is known on this very difficult 
subject; and it is very little. How impressions, 
from exterior substances are made on the senses ; 
and how the mind takes cognizance of these im- 
pressions, is entirely hidden from all human search. 



62 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

Although human beings are thus ignorant of these 
subjects, they have attained to some knowledge of 
the faculties and operations of the mind, which are 
next to be considered. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Proofs drawn from the Human Intellect, continued. 

104. It seems to be the most satisfactory way to 
learn all that can be known of the human mind, to 
examine one's own experience. Let us suppose 
that a person of competent age, and the common 
degree of intelligence and instruction, should turn 
his thoughts inwards, and ascertain for himself, 
what he can, of his own mind. 

105. The first thing that will strike him as cer- 
tain, is, that he exists ; that he is conscious of that 
fact. No reasonable person can doubt that he is a 
human being. No one can doubt that he may act, 
or not act; that he can command the use of his 
muscles. No one doubts that he has perceptions 
of external objects ; nor that he can recall and think 
of them, when they are not acting on him ; nor that 
he is capable of feeling pain, and of having pleasing 
and grateful emotions. No one doubts that he can 
remember what he did a few hours ago, nor that 
he can think of what he will do a few hours hence ; 
and resolve on the means of doing what he wants 
to do. Such things are the common, every day 
experience of all persons. 

106. Suppose such a person seated in a room, 
and accidentally reminded of Eve's affectionate ad- 
dress to Adam in Milton, 

* To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty adorn'd — 
My author, and disposer, what thou bidd'st 
Unargued I obey : so God ordains : 
God is thy law, thou mine : to know no more 
Is woman's happiest knowledge, and her praise. 
With thee conversing, I forget all time ; 
All seasons and their change, all please alike,' &c. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 63 

He recollects that he could repeat it ; he attempts 
to do it, but his memory fails him. He remembers 
the place in which his volume of Milton is ; he rises, 
and takes it down, resumes his place, and reads 
over the lines, closes his book, and finds that the 
lines have resumed their place in his memory, and 
that he can repeat them. This simple and every 
day occurrence is full of mysteries. What is that 
power of muscular motion which is so perfectly 
obedient to the will ; the faculty of memory; the 
recurrence of former impressions ; the connexion 
between thoughts recalled, or any thoughts, and the 
power of speech ? and whence, and what, is that 
emotion of pleasure, found in the imaginary lan- 
guage of tenderness, and piety, which existed only 
in the mind of the poet ? All this is incomprehen- 
sible, as to its causes and nature ; but, it is so, and 
this is all that can be discerned. 

107. Let such a person employ himself in calling 
to mind the events of his past life. 

Suppose him to have arrived at the age when 
manhood begins. He can call to mind many events 
of the last year, and so can go back from year to 
year, till he comes to the earliest circumstances, 
and events, which he can remember. It is proba- 
ble that such an exercise of the mind will bring to 
his view persons, and facts, which he has not 
thought of for many years ; and that he will seem 
to see them again, with all the freshness of the first 
impressions. In this exercise of the mind, he can- 
not doubt that it was himself, and not another, who 
witnessed these things which he so recalls. He 
may be able to recollect, that in his school exer- 
cises he recited some piece of poetry, or prose, and 
with some effort may be able to recall it, and the 
very book from which he learned it, and that he 
can repeat the whole again. By this exercise of 
the mind he satisfies himself that he has one qual- 
ity, or power of the mind, to which he gives (in 
common with all other persons) the name of mem- 
ory. He may know also, that the memory can be 
charged with remembering, and with preserving 



64 MORAL CLASS BOOK, 

what is committed to it ; that by frequent calling 
on it to perform duties, and tasks, it will perform 
them more easily and effectively. There is, then, 
a faculty of the mind called memory, which is the 
subject of discipline and habit. 

108. When he has thus made himself acquainted 
with memory, he will have attained to a certain 
degree of knowledge of this intellectual faculty. 
But what does it amount to ? No more than this, 
viz. that he has such faculty, and can exercise it. 
But what it is in itself, he is no better informed than 
before he exercised its power. Where were those 
impressions stored up, which he has called to his 
view ? How is it that he recalls them ? And how 
Is it that they do not come instantly, but often 
slowly, and after repeated efforts ? And how is it 
that the memory serves him as to some things, and 
not as to others, which he cannot but know to have 
happened in relation to himself? How is it that 
some of his impressions are so very vivid, and clear, 
that by closing his eyes he seems to see the orig- 
inal objects again ; while of others, he has only a 
very indistinct recollection, as though it were the 
fading away of a dream. All that one thus certainly 
knows is, that he has the faculty of memory, that 
it serves him for better or worse, probably from its 
original power, and from the discipline which he 
has bestowed upon it. 

109. In such a process of recalling past events, 
one may find that his mind sometimes goes off from 
the proposed purpose, and engages itself in some- 
thing which is incidental. Thus, if one should 
arrive at a point in retracing events, in which he 
recollects to have been one of a numerous audience, 
he may remember the impressions which some 
speaker made on him at the time, and also the sub- 
ject spoken of. He may find that his mind, un- 
bidden by him, engages itself upon the speaker, or 
the subject of the speech, and that the recollection 
of the one, or the other, or both, diverts him from 
following back the train of events in his own life, 
and that he has entirely forgotten himself, in this 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 65 

new pursuit. After some time, his mind gives up 
this pursuit, and returns to that in which he was 
engaged : and he will he surprised to find, how far 
he has wandered from the employment with which 
he commenced. But this incident teaches him 
another quality of the mind, that is, that thoughts 
are associated with other thoughts, and that the 
presence of the one introduces the other. This 
quality, faculty, or power, is called association of 
ideas. 

110. This faculty of the mind has the strongest 
influence on human life and happiness. It is on 
this faculty, that intellectual eminence is principally 
founded. It may be divided into parts, that of 
having acquired the information, or knowledge, or 
experience, which gives to the mind the power of 
forming such associations ; and, secondly, the 
readiness with which the mind makes its associa- 
tions. In all intellectual operations, this principle 
of association takes a most active part. An act is 
to be done, or an act done, is to be judged of. All 
similar acts, and all similar judgments, have rela- 
tion to these. Those who have had experience 
are skilful, because of the facility with which these 
associations are formed in their minds. This facul- 
ty extends to all the vocations in life. Known 
truths, and inferences from these truths, are brought 
to bear on the subject to be acted upon. It is this 
faculty which has led to so many important discov- 
eries in Natural Philosophy. It appears, eminently, 
in the mind of Sir Isaac Newton, and in that of the 
philosophic Lord Bacon. But it applies, alike, in all 
professional and mechanical employments. These 
associations are sometimes the fruit of laborious re- 
search, and continued labor ; but repeated opera- 
tions make them come uncalled for, no less in men- 
tal, than in muscular action. The principle is the 
same in the acts of a skilful surgeon, an extempora- 
neous orator, an adroit mechanic, a long practised 
musician, and a graceful rope-dancer. All the 
learning which has been devoted to intellectual 
operations, comes only to this result, that the mind 



66 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

perceives, retains, and remembers. It applies what 
it has thus acquired to the acts in which it is en- 
gaged. This is common to all vocations, however 
varied the acts of human life may be, and howev- 
er varied the knowledge with which these acts may- 
be associated. 

111. Another faculty of the mind will have been 
disclosed in making the proposed inquiry. The 
mind may, or may not be able to go back, without 
any deviation, in the straight line of one's expe- 
rience, from manhood to infancy ; and may refuse 
to go out of its way, or to permit anything to at- 
tract it from its direct course. This faculty of fixing 
the mind on the subject proposed, and excluding all 
things else, whatever be the subject pursued, is, 
in common phrase, minding what one is about; 
philosophers call it attention. It is very certain that 
those who mind, or attend to that which they un- 
dertake to do, are sure to do it sooner and better, 
than if the mind be often drawn off to other objects, 
and have to return to find where it was, and how 
employed when it deviated. If one have to go from 
one point to another on the earth, he may go in a 
certain space of time, or he may deviate to see 
every object that attracts him, and return to his 
path as often as he has left it, if he do not deviate 
so far, as to be unable to find it. It is a truth, for 
example, but not a self-evident one, that if one 
draw two triangles, having two angles of the one 
equal to two angles of the other, each to each ; and 
one side equal to one side, viz. either of the sides 
adjacent to the equal angles, or the sides opposite 
to the equal angles in each ; then shall the other 
sides be equal, each to each ; and also the third 
angle of the one, to the third angle of the other. 
But to prove that such equality exists, a process of 
reasoning must be gone through. To make out 
that proof, one must remember or associate with 
the demonstration he is engaged in, the elementary 
truths which are laid up in his memory, and which 
are intended to be applied in such mensuration ; 
and he must have a faculty in associating these 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 67 

truths, as he goes on, with his demonstration ; and 
he must mind what he is doing ; that is, he must 
give his exclusive attention to his object ; for, if 
his mind flies off to something else, the chain of de- 
monstration will be broken, and he will probably, 
nay necessarily, begin again, and form every link 
anew. 

112. Memory, association, and attention are all 
faculties of the mind, capable of discipline, educa- 
tion, and habits. Perhaps one could not hazard 
too much in saying, that the fruits of education are 
to be found in these three qualities, as to the ability 
of the mind. It is quite questionable whether these 
faculties are yet systematically and effectively dis- 
ciplined, to their full extent. Nor is the best mode 
of disciplining them, probably, yet known. Memory 
is treated of very lightly in many schools ; and 
whether cultivated in the best manner, in any, is 
very doubtful. Usually it is a painful effort to 
exercise the memory. Is there no way of making 
it pleasant, or, at least, tolerable ? 

113. Every one knows, that the power of minding 
what one is about, or attending to that which is 
doing, can be subjected to obedience. If a master 
should be moving among his pupils, with a whip in 
his hand, and should make its lash felt by every in- 
attentive boy, he would certainly fix attention on 
the lesson to be learned. But with older persons, 
and even with such pupils, other motives may be 
applied, and with far better effects. No one doubts 
that a habit of attention may be acquired, and is 
acquired. It is one of those qualities which ena- 
bles the mind to do its best. It is sometimes con- 
sidered the fair rival of genius ; and to be capable 
of supplying its place. A man of singular eminence 
for intellectual power, was lately asked, by one of 
his familiar friends, which of the faculties of his 
mind had secured to him his remarkable distinction ; 
He answered, modestly, that if he had any preten- 
sion to be superior to men, in general, in anything, 
it was in the ability to take up a subject, and to fix 
his mind on it as long as he pleased, to the exclu- 

8 



68 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

sion of every thought not properly connected with 
the object in view. 

114. Although these three faculties of the mind 
may be spoken of with certainty, as to their exist- 
ence, their uses, and the cultivation of them, yet 
what they are in themselves, is entirely unknown. 
The operations of memory are known only by 
experience. Those of association, and attention, 
are known in like manner only. That facility 
which some men have of disclosing connexions be- 
tween distinct ideas, and that power which is exert- 
ed at pleasure, of devoting the whole mind to a sub- 
ject, disclose nothing of the mind, or its faculties, 
but this, that it is so ; and this is the limit of all in- 
quiry. 

115. Every person who has the power of remem- 
bering, and whose mind associates thoughts, and 
who can give his attention to his thoughts, must 
have exercised faculties of the mind, which are in 
use, before these faculties can be used. He must 
have had thousands of impressions made on his 
mind, through his senses. When the mind is at- 
tending to impressions made through the senses, 
it is exercising that faculty which is called percep- 
tion. The act of the senses, by which the percep- 
tion of the mind is obtained, is observation. The 
eye, for example, is engaged in comparing the mer- 
its of two pictures. The eye is observing. The im- 
pression made on the retina by one picture, and 
then by the other, enables it to perceive them. The 
mind in judging of them, associates what it remem- 
bers of impressions made by other pictures. The 
intensity, or singleness of its devotion to the act it 
is engaged in, marks the degree of attention. 

116. When the mind remembers what it has per- 
ceived, it has ideas or images within it, of the 
things perceived. Any one who saw the eclipse of 
February 12, 1831, had a direct perception of that 
event. If he recalls that event by an act of his 
memory, he then has an idea or conception of it. 
The words idea, and conception, have the same 
meaning, when used in relation to a past impres- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK, 



69 



sion. If one, who did not see that eclipse, should 
hear it described, or read a description of it, he 
would have, in his mind, an idea or conception of 
it. This idea or conception, is understood to mean 
the existence in the mind of some past event, or 
fact, or of something" not present to the senses ; of 
this nature are all geographical and historical de- 
scriptions, whether real, or imaginary. 

117. There is another class of ideas which the 
mind makes for itself, out of ideas of sensation, that 
is, out of ideas which come through the senses, 
which are called ideas of reflection. These are ob- 
tained by the power which the mind has to think, 
or reflect, upon the impressions which the senses 
have furnished it with. Every one has seen many 
different kinds of vegetable products, which grow 
on trees, bushes, and vines. He knows each one 
by itself, by some name. Collectively, he knows 
all these products under the name of fruit. The 
act of the mind in classing many, and giving a gen- 
eral name, makes an idea of reflection. A particu- 
lar individual known to us, is a man. A number of 
such individuals, associated for a particular purpose^ 
may be a mob, an army, a religious, or legislative 
assembly. A particular family is one ; many fami- 
lies constitute inhabitants of a city, a county, or a 
state. Generalization, is necessary in the arts and 
sciences, and in all intellectual operations. The 
respective members of the animal, the vegetable, 
and the mineral kingdoms, are classed and known 
by general terms. Without this power of classifica- 
tion, human knowledge would be exceedingly lim- 
ited. 

118. Abstraction is the separation of certain qual- 
ities from the subject in which they appear. This 
also is an idea of reflection. A rose, linen, paper, 
snow, are white. The quality is abstracted, and 
forms an idea of reflection, known under the name 
of whiteness. These ideas are unnumbered ; virtue, 
vice, right, wrong, loveliness, deformity, hardness, 
suffering, bravery, cowardice, truth, and falsehood, 
are of this description. It is said that ideas of ab- 



70 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

straction, can be conceived of, separately, or ab- 
stractly, from any subject, or person. It is also said, 
that they cannot be so conceived of. Each one must 
settle this for himself, by attempting to conceive of 
vice and virtue independently of human beings ; or 
of whiteness, or blackness, entirely separate from 
some physical substance. Thus, it is apparent that 
the mind has the power of classing and bringing 
many particulars under some general term ; and 
also of abstracting from many particulars, some 
quality common to them all. Every person, with- 
out the aid of learned treatises, can master the the- 
ory of generalizing, and abstracting, by examining 
the materials of knowledge collected in his own 
mind. The word animal is one of the most gene- 
ral terms in use. Any one may follow this into 
many classes. Perhaps the most learned man that 
ever lived could not follow it into all classes in na- 
ture. Abstraction is a more simple operation. The 
abstraction is easily made. The difficulty lies in 
the application of it to particular subjects. Fusion, 
for example, is an abstract term. Certain substan- 
ces can be melted or fused, that is, brought from a 
solid, into a liquid state. All substances cannot be 
fused. It is unknown whether certain substances 
can be or not. It is known that some substances 
cannot be melted, by the application of heat ; but 
will either be dissipated, or reduced to ashes. 

119. Imagination is another department of the 
mind which is considered, by some writers, as in- 
cluding that of conception. It appears to be that 
faculty by which the images in the mind are divi- 
ded, reformed, combined, increased, or diminished ; 
and also that, by which the realities perceived 
through the senses, are dealt with, by imaginary 
additions and changes. But, it will be found, in 
analyzing any and every product of the imagination, 
that it is made up of perceptions originally derived 
through the senses, and then managed according to 
this power of the mind. What a wonderful power 
is that, by which one may create in his head, an im- 
aginary world ; cover its surface with vegetation ; 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 71 

place on it varieties of animal life ; endow its ten- 
ants with active powers, physical and intellectual, 
and furnish them with motives and passions, and 
engage them in connected and consecutive efforts. 
Beauty, deformity, virtue, vice, the kindest affec- 
tions, the most generous and magnanimous feelings, 
the most malicious and diabolical propensities, may 
figure under the power of the imagination. 

120. Among the imperishable products of this pow- 
er, is Milton's Paradise Lost, as much read and ad- 
mired now, (at the distance of one hundred and sixty- 
six years from its appearance,) as at any preceding 
time. Another production, of the same family, are 
the dramatic works of Shakspeare, some of which 
have the further recommendation of being histori- 
cal, though, in many parts, more fit, in these days, 
for the- closet, than any other use. And another in- 
stance is found, still of the same order, but for very 
different use, in the poem so well known under the 
name of Thompson's Seasons, now familiar to the 
reading world for about a century ; and which is 
full of extraordinary beauty of description, and a 
high tone of moral and pious feeling, delightfully 
expressed. 

121. But here, again, one is entirely ignorant of 
this power of the mind, and can only say that such 
an one there is, and such are its uses. It is to be 
noticed, that this faculty of imagination has its laws. 
However fanciful it may be, all its products are de- 
rived from ideas of sensation and reflection. These 
are limits which it cannot transcend. Dreaming 
seems to be the sporting of the imagination, with 
ideas of sensation and reflection ; but in this sport, 
it apparently uses none other ; and, philosophically, 
can use no other, however extravagant its opera- 
tions may be. Insanity is, probably, a diseased ac- 
tion of the imagination ; as when one imagines him- 
self to be some person which he is not, or in cir- 
cumstances or relations which are not real. Insan- 
ity is commonly said to be a false perception through 
the senses ; or false conclusions, from true percep- 
tions. If this account of mental alienation be a iust 

8* J 



72 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

one, many persons are, in some degree insane, who 
are not thought to be so ; and probably all persons 
are so, on this supposition, who are under the in- 
fluence of any violent passion. 

122. Every person who will attend to what his 
own mind does, in the daily action of his life, will 
know, that he is engaged in comparing one thing 
with another, and one motive with another. Some 
persons, who are actively employed, will find that 
they make many such comparisons in every hour. All 
persons, of all ages, make these comparisons in sub- 
jects of more or less importance. Philosophers, 
statesmen, professional men, and mechanics, are 
continually employed in this process ; and so even 
are children, in their sports and amusements. 
The mind, then, has a power of making compari- 
sons ; and of judging, and the result which the mind 
comes to, is a judgment. Wherefore, it is said, that 
there is a faculty of the mind called judgment. 
But it rather seems proper to say, that the mind 
has a faculty of forming a judgment by comparison. 
Human life is a continued series of actions, and 
every action has some motive which arises from 
comparing or judging, though these judgments are 
formed so rapidly, as not to be noticed by the mind. 
Every one knows that these motives, so formed by 
comparison, determine him to act, or not to act. 
He also knows, that when a motive is sufficiently 
operative to move the mind to do, or to put the 
muscles of the material being into action, (when 
the motive has reference to them) an act of the 
mind, or body follows. This determination to do, 
or not to do an act, is an exercise of a faculty of 
the mind which is called the loill. 

123. The motive of the will, has been discussed 
by very able minds ; and opposite, and irreconcile- 
able opinions have been presented to the world, 
under the authority of great names. Some of these 
writers maintain that the will is determined by 
causes over which the mind has no control, and 
that every act done, or omitted, is from an abso- 
lute necessity. They say that every act, and 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 73 

every thought, is an unavoidable consequence of 
preceding actions, or thoughts. That this must be 
so, because the Deity forsees every thing that oc- 
curs, and that nothing can happen but in pursuance 
of his will. On the other hand, it is said, that 
such a doctrine is directly opposed to the experi- 
ence of every rational being. That no one doubts, 
for a moment, that all acts which are within his 
power, and which he is not restrained, by some 
consideration, from doing, may be done, or not, at 
his own pleasure. Can any one doubt that he can 
rise and walk, or sit still ; that he can turn his 
face towards the East, the North, the West, or the 
South, or that he can speak, or be silent ? If he 
receive the opposite doctrine, and give credit to 
that, disregarding the fallacy on which it must rest, 
he takes that to be true, which is contradicted by 
every act of his life. The very men who maintain 
this doctrine, act throughout all their lives, in di- 
rect opposition to it. Is it possible, that when 
one feels regret and remorse, at doing wrong, and 
satisfaction for doing right, he so feels, though he 
could not but do the acts from which these feelings 
arise ? Such a doctrine makes of man a mere ma- 
chine, denies him the influence of all motives ; and 
annihilates, at a blow, all notions of accountability 
to ourselves, to society, and to the Creator. If this 
doctrine, so repugnant to common sense, be true, 
then it is a part of it, that men shall suffer and 
mourn, in consequence of acts which they were 
compelled to do ; and with the perplexing convic- 
tion, that it was impossible to avoid doing the acts, 
the very doing of which, is the cause of their distress. 
Such things are subversive of all reverence for the 
Deity. 

124. It may be proper to state more precisely 
the doctrine of u philosophical necessity," as it is 
called. It is this, according to one of the most 
distinguished writers on this subject : Liberty and 
necessity are consistent. Men's actions proceed from the 
will, therefore, they proceed from liberty, because the will is 
free; yet, because all acts of the will proceed from some 



74 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

cause , and that from some other cause, and so on, in a 
continual chain, which ascends to the Great First Cause, 
all acts proceed from necessity. As God must see all 
the train of causes, all acts must be done according to his 
ivill, since no act can be done against his will. 

125. To this doctrine common sense may offer 
these objections : How can actions be free, mere- 
ly because they proceed from the will, when it is, 
at the same time, affirmed, that the will itself, is 
controlled by necessity ? How can any human 
being know, whether there be, or be not, a train of 
causes, which begins in the will of the Almighty, 
and of which the last links are manifested in the 
acts, good, bad, or indifferent, of all sorts of human 
beings ? Who can venture to say, that the Almighty 
does, or does not see, the train of causes, if there 
be one ; unless he can also say, that he knows what 
the attributes of that Being are ? Omniscience and 
Omnipotence are spoken of as attributes of the 
Deity. So far as human beings can comprehend 
the meaning of these words, when so used, they 
are properly used. But it may be doubted, whether 
the human mind can conceive of the application of 
them as Divine attributes. Who can take on him- 
self to say that the Deity does, or does not, behold 
all things, that have been, are, and will be ; and 
without succession, in order of time ? Or, who can 
say that the Deity has, or has not, so ordered all 
things, that they must go on in a course which 
cannot be changed ? Can any mortal pretend to know 
how the Deity exercises his power, or by what rules 
he acts, or whether there be any rules for him ? 

126. Some of the most learned and discerning 
men who have appeared in the world, have dis- 
cussed the question of philosophical necessity. It 
is believed that all of them must have proceeded on 
the assumption, that the human mind has power to 
comprehend and to disclose, the manner in which 
the Almighty mind acts and governs. Or, they 
must have assumed that the Deity acts, and gov- 
erns, as a human mind would, if it were Omniscient 
and Omnipotent. As to the first case, such power 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 75 

is not given to any human beings. As to the sec- 
ond, it is a vain speculation to suppose a human 
mind qualified with such attributes ; and a still 
more vain speculation to imagine, how a human 
mind would act, and govern, if it were so qualified. 
The discussions alluded to, have the merit and only 
merit, of having given employment to ingenious 
and acute intellects. It is not perceived that they 
have been, or can be, of any practical use. It 
seems to be more becoming to the short-lived occu- 
pants of this humble sphere, to follow the dictates 
of plain reason, and common sense. All who do 
this, must feel convinced that they may do, or 
forbear to do, in all cases, when there is no phys- 
ical, moral, or religious restraint operating upon 
them. On this conviction moral accountability de- 
pends. 

127. We consider man to be thus far a free agent, 
that he wills to do, or not to do ; that his will is 
determined by the strongest motives acting upon 
it ; that the nature and influence of motives depend 
upon his original mind, and upon the intelligence 
and discipline imparted to it ; and through these, 
on the respect which he feels for commands and 
prohibitions, arising from the laws of nature, of so- 
ciety, and of his Creator. We believe, finally, that 
the mind of man is distinguishable, from the think- 
ing power which other animals have (which may 
be in many respects, especially in some animals, 
very like that of the human mind) in this, that man 
can, and that no other animal can, form opinions 
of abstract truths. By this we mean, that man can 
comprehend the nature of a law, and its general ap- 
plication, and the consequences of obeying it, or 
disobeying it. That he can comprehend the ab- 
stract truths of science, morality, and religion, and 
that no other animal has this power. He can com- 
prehend that he is required, under some penalties, 
to govern himself by these truths. We believe that 
in these respects man is, and was intended to be, 
exalted far above all other animated beings. And 
that this is the comprehensive mark put between 



76 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

him and them, and raises him to the hope of 
another, and superior life. 

128. The conclusion we come to is this : That 
the faculties of the mind are developed by the ac- 
tion of the senses ; that the knowledge transferred 
to the mind through these, enables it to exercise its 
faculties, and to expand, enlarge, and perfect them, 
so far as human life permits ; that among these are 
memory, association, attention, generalizing, ab- 
straction, comparing and judging, or forming judg- 
ments ; that judgments are motives, which put the 
will into action ; that the will is formed, and quali- 
fied, by the sum of intelligence, and acquirements, 
which the mind arrives at ; or that willing, and 
consequent action, may be right or wrong, virtu- 
ous, or vicious, or neither the one nor the other, 
but indifferent. If we are well founded in these 
propositions we have cleared the way to morals. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Moral Accountability. 

INTRODUCTION. 

129. It may properly be expected, when any one 
takes on himself to set forth the grounds on which 
moral accountability is supposed to rest, that he 
should also show, what other persons have set 
forth, on the same subject. It seems proper to do 
this, that a fair comparison may be made among 
different, or conflicting opinions, Such display of 
opinions would, it is very certain, require volumes ; 
and an extent of labor, far exceeding that intended, 
in preparing this volume. Nothing more will be at- 
tempted than a mere outline of the history of moral 
philosophy. In doing this, we assume that human 
reason, unassisted by revelation, can arrive at a 
respectable degree of knowledge, concerning duty 
to one's self, and to others. 

130. How much any nation must be raised above 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 77 

barbarism, before any inquiry begins as to religious 
and moral duty, it is not easy to decide. Few na- 
tions have been found so little removed from the 
lowest barbarism, as not to have some religious sen- 
timents, however absurd or shocking. The aborig- 
inals of this country, though called savage, and 
barbarous, had religious sentiments, and moral 
opinions. Some of the former, though rude, were 
better than some, which have appeared in civ- 
ilized society ; and some of the latter were hon- 
orable to human nature, though qualified with ex- 
cessive cruelty. As nations advance from barba- 
rism, and approach refinement, teachers in religion 
and morals appear. A class of men are soon known, 
who, under some name, assume to be interpreters 
of the will of Deities, and to hold a place between 
these, and the multitude. It was so among the 
Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Medes, and Per- 
sians. How it was among the Jews is known from 
the Scriptures. 

131. The most ancient philosopher and moralist, 
of whom there is any account, was Zoroaster. At 
what time he lived, is very uncertain : nor is it cer- 
tain that there was such a person, although doc- 
trines, said to be taught by him, still exist. Wheth- 
er he was of the people called the Medes, or the 
Persians, is uncertain. He is considered by some 
writers to be the founder of the class called the 
Magi, another name for priests ; and also of the Per- 
sees, or worshippers of fire. Among the Chinese, a 
celebrated philosopher and moralist named Confu- 
cius, appeared, about 550 years before Christianity 
was revealed. His morality was of a high order, 
and his works have been deemed worthy of transla- 
tion into more than one language of Europe, within 
the present century. From such examples, (of 
which there are several) it may be inferred, that 
religious and moral sentiments are natural to the 
human mind; and that they necessarily take the 
form of systems, in certain stages of refinement. 

132. The most remarkable among the Heathen 
philosophers and moralists, who lived within four 



78 



MORAL CLASS BOOK, 



centuries next before the Christian era began, were 
Greeks and Romans. Morals, (independently of 
Christianity,) have some connexion with the opin- 
ions of these eminent men : All intellectual philos- 
ophy, # of the present day, is connected with their 
systems. It would be a labor out of place, to show 
what these systems were, and in what respects they 
differed from, or were opposed to each other. But, 
as many words are in common use among us, which 
are derived from Grecian Philosophy, it may be 
useful to show, why some of them came to be a 
part of our language. 

133. Socratic is used to distinguish that sort of 
reasoning which consists, not in a series of argu- 
ments to prove a proposition, but by putting ques- 
tions, which require an answer ; or, which may be 
said to imply their own answer. It is called the 
Socratic method, and was that used by Socrates, an 
eminent philosopher and moralist, who was con- 
demned, most unjustly, at Athens, to drink poison, 
in the year 400 B. C. He was the most rational 
teacher among all ancient philosophers of the exist- 
ence of God, as well as the most profound and just 
of all ancient moralists. 

134. Peripatetic is used to distinguish that school 
of philosophy which was founded by Jlristotle. He 
was born at Stagyra, in Macedon, and died at the 
age of about sixty-one, 353 B. C. He was the pre- 



* The word philosophy is often used without an intelligible meaning. 
The sense in which it is used, in these pages, may be most easily under- 
stood by recurring to its origin. It is said in the tenth volume of the Ency- 
clopaedia Americana, page 595, that Pythagorus (who died 500 years B. 
C.) " refused the title of sophos (wise) as too assuming ; and contented 
himself with the simple appellation of philo-sophos, (a friend, or lover 
of wisdom)." For generator popular use, the word philosophy, may 
be understood to mean, the truths on which any science is founded, and 
the rational inferences which may be drawn therefrom, either for practi- 
cal use, or to arrive at other truths. Thus, natural philosophy, means all 
that is certainly known of the material creation, and the practical use of 
this knowledge, whether in common pursuits, or in arriving at other 
truths. Moral philosophy, means all the truths which have been estab- 
lished concerning human motives, and conduct; and the using of these 
truths in obtaining the knowledge of truths yet to be known ; as well as 
the practical application of them in human affairs. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 79 

ceptor of Alexander the Great. He instructed his 
followers while walking about, which movement is 
expressed by two Greek words out of which peripa- 
tetic is made. His systems of philosophy have been 
preserved, and he is often referred to by modern 
philosophers. He is sometimes spoken of as the 
Stagyrite, from the place of his birth. His eminence 
as a teacher concerning the nature of things, Polit- 
ical Government, and of the human mind, has made 
him less memorable as a moralist. 

135. Platonic, is used to signify the philosophy of 
Plato* who was first a pupil, and afterwards, to 
some extent, a competitor for fame with Aristotle. 
His opinions differed from those of his master, in 
some essential points. His works have been col- 
lected and translated, and commented upon, by a 
profoundly learned Divine, now living at Berlin, in 
Prussia ;f and translated from the German into 
French, by a celebrated lecturer on Christianity at 
Paris ;$ so that the works of Plato are more likely 
to be known, familiarly, to the learned, than those 
of any other Grecian. Academy, a word in use in 
many languages, is indicative of the honor in which 
Plato's fame is held. His teachings, or conferen- 
ces, were conducted at a gymnasium, or school, in 
or near Athens, which was kept by a person, it is 
said, named Academus. Whence, academia, acad- 
emy. This place may have been among trees, as, 
sometimes, Plato's place of teaching is spoken of as 
being a grove. Platonic love is sometimes spoken of 
in this sense ; Plato maintained that there might be 
a fervent and devoted affection, between persons of 
different sexes, of an entirely intellectual character, 
and resembling, in no respect, that affection which 
naturally arises between the sexes. Plato died at 
Athens 348 years B.C. 

* His original name was Aristocles. He was called Plato, from Pla- 
tus (broad) on account of breadth of his chest and forehead. Enc. Amer. 
Art. Plato. 

t Schleiermacher, who is as much respected for the observance of all 
professional and Christian duties, as for his distinguished learning. 

% Cousin. 9 



80 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

136. Pyrrhonism is used to signify scepticism; or 
doubting- the credibility of truths, or opinions. This 
class of philosophers, or sceptics, opposed all sys- 
tems of philosophy which had been maintained. 
They doubted the truth of every proposition. This 
sect was founded by Pyrrho of the city of Elis, 
where the Olympic games were celebrated. He 
died about 300 years B.C. 

137. Epicurean is used to signify a high refine- 
ment in pleasures of the senses, and more especially 
those which have the least connexion with pleas- 
ures which are intellectual. But this is a great de- 
parture from the true meaning of the original Epi- 
curean philosophy. Its object was to show that all 
things which man is made capable of using to pro- 
mote his pleasure, may be used to that end, if it be 
done innocently, and in a manner consistent with 
one's duty to himself, and to others. The founder 
of this sect was Epicurus, who died at Athens 269 
B. C. 

138. Stoic is used to signify the absence of all 
sympathy for one's fellow men ; and a disregard of 
all the pains, and pleasures of life. This word is 
derived from a sect founded at Athens by Zeno, a 
native of Cyprus. They held all the amiable virtues 
in contempt ; and maintained that mortals must bear 
evils with sullen magnanimity, until they became 
intolerable ; and whenever life was no longer worth 
preserving, the sufferer might put an end to it. 
This sort of philosophy was not uncommon among 
the Romans, as is known from the history of some 
of its eminent citizens. The name of this sect is 
derived from a Greek word which means a portico. 
Zeno is said to have taught in such a place, at 
Athens. He finished his own life at Athens 264 
B. C. 

139. Cynic is used to signify a person who is 
austere, churlish, and surly towards his fellow-men, 
and very ill at ease with himself. The word is de- 
rived from the Greek word for dog. The Cynics 
were a sect of philosophers of some celebrity. This 
sect sprang out of the Socratic school, and origi- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK^ 81 

nally maintained elevated sentiments on the na- 
ture of virtue, which they considered to mean self- 
denial. But this theory degenerated into contempt 
of riches, and of every pleasure, and comfort of life. 
Diogenes was one of the most remarkable of this 
sect. He is said to have been visited by Alexander 
the Great, who found him living in a tub. Dioge- 
nes is said to have replied to the inquiry, what 
Alexander could do for him, " Nothing but to stand 
from between me and the sun." 

140. The Greeks derived their philosophy, learn- 
ing, and refinement, from the Egyptians. The 
Grecian mythology (religion) was entirely made 
up from that of Egypt. Romans visited Greece to 
obtain learning, science and arts ; and made up 
their philosophy from that source. The greatest 
splendor of Rome may be said to have occurred 
within the century next preceding the commence- 
ment of the Christian era. Philosophy was then 
assiduously cultivated, and there were distinguished 
moralists at Rome, whatever may be then said of 
Roman morals. This was the period within which 
Seneca flourished in that city, though by birth a 
Spaniard. He is known by a much esteemed book 
called Seneca's Morals. In this time lived Marcus 
Tullius Cicero, from whom there are several works, 
familiarly known. One work (called Tully's Offices) 
on moral duties, is held in high respect by Chris- 
tian moralists, and is often quoted. The last emi- 
nent moral teacher at Rome was a slave of a cruel 
master in Nero's time. He is known by the name 
of Epictetus, a native of a city in Phrygia, (Asia Mi- 
nor). His works are preserved, and are greatly 
esteemed. They do not seem to have borrowed 
anything from Christianity, though he died about 
150 years after its revelation. 

141. It may be, that all moral systems should be 
considered with reference to the age in which they 
arose ; that is, the state of society, the nature of 
the Government, and the effect which theories 
were intended to have. One could better under- 
stand, for example, the true meaning of the Gre- 



82 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

cian systems, during the third century before the 
Christian era, if he had first informed himself of the 
political and social condition of Greece, during that 
period ; and, especially, if he could know how con- 
temporaneous moralists were related thereto, and to 
each other. It must also be taken into the account 
that the teaching was oral, and that (the art of 
printing being unknown) few, if any were influenced, 
who did not actually hear. 

142. From the death of Epictetus, down to a pe- 
riod commencing about two centuries ago, we know 
of nothing in the history of moral philosophy, sepa- 
rated from Christianity, worth noticing, for the pre- 
sent purpose. From about the beginning of the 
seventeenth century (1610) to the present time, 
morality has been treated of, in connexion with 
Christian revelation. Works have appeared in Eng- 
land, Scotland, France, and Germany. These 
works are very numerous. We do not assume to 
make a critical comparison of them ; nor to have 
such knowledge of them, as would be necessary, if 
we had the ability, to do it. These various wri- 
ters., are not (so far as we are acquainted with 
them) reconcileable with each other. We think it 
useful to go so far as to select the opinions of a 
sufficient number of eminent writers, to sustain the 
principles on which moral accountability is main- 
tained, in this volume. We quote the substance of 
opinions, not the words in which they are (in all 
cases) expressed. 

143. Conscience is felt to act as the delegate of 
an invisible Ruler ; it is the enlightening or direct- 
ing principle of our conduct. A sense of right and 
wrong, or moral good and evil, belongs to human 
nature. (Blair.) 

The light of nature not only shines upon the hu- 
man mind, through the medium of a rational facul- 
ty, but by an internal instinct, according to the law 
of conscience, which is a sparkle of the purity of 
man's first estate. (Lord Bacon.) 

Sense of right and wrong is as natural to us, as 
natural affection. (Lord Shaftsbury.) 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 83 

Every man may find the evidence of moral science 
in his own breast. The dictates of nature are the 
voice of God. (Dr. Beattie.) 

Whatever conscience dictates, God commands. 
(Dr. Price.) 

The mind contains in it, the general principles 
of morality, as native principles, by which it judges 
virtue to be fit, and vice unfit. (Dr. Watts.) 

I call natural laws, those which nature dictates, 
in all ages, to all men, for the maintenance of that 
justice, which she has implanted in our breasts. 
(Voltaire's Works, vol. 34, p. 296.) 

The secret sense of right and wrong, has the nat- 
ural force and effect of a law. (Dr. Shepherd.) 

The Divine Law, whether by the light of nature, 
or by revelation, is the measure of sin, and duty. 
(Locke.) 

It is absurd to suppose that the first perceptions 
of right and wrong, can be derived from reason. 
Our moral faculties were set up within us, to be the 
supreme arbiters of our actions. (Adam Smith.) 

144. There are men of true piety, and great learn- 
ing, who go beyond the moralists before mentioned, 
and who maintain, that the will of God is, (in these 
days,) directly communicated to the human mind, 
independently of the moral sense ; and that this 
communication constitutes a motive to action.* 
Of this opinion was Lord Chief Justice Hale. This 
opinion is not mentioned for the purpose of assent- 
ing or dissenting, for how is it to be proved, that it 
is, or is not, so ? 

One eminent moralist of modern times, has not 
been already mentioned, Archdeacon Foley. It has 
been objected to his theory of utility, (Book 2. Chap. 
6.) that it places morality on the footing of mere 
social convenience. But, what objection is there to 
that, if social convenience implies a condition of so- 
ciety consistent with the will of Him, by whose order 
society itself, exists ? The objection seems to rest 

* See Essays en the Principles of Morality, by Jonathan Dymond, 
published in London, 1830. A work of an original thinker, and acute 
reasoner ; but somewhat of an ultra moralist. 

9* 



84 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 



on the term used, rather than on the meaning 
which it is intended thereby to convey. There is, 
however, one opinion of Dr. Paley, in which he 
differs from most of the heathen, as well as from all 
Christian moralists. He says in Book 2. Chap. 5. 
" Upon the whole, it seems to me, either that there 
exist no such instincts as compose what is called 
the moral sense ; or that they are not now to be 
distinguished from prejudices and habits." " This 
celebrated question, therefore, becomes, in our sys- 
tem, a question of pure curiosity ; and as such we 
dismiss it to the determination of those, who are 
more inquisitive than we are concerned to be, about 
the natural history and constitution of the human 
species." 

With the exception of this moralist, all, who 
have come within our knowledge, of whatsoever 
age, or nation, concur in the opinion, that there is, 
in the human mind, an original sense of right and 
wrong. On this opinion we rest the whole theory 
of moral accountability, so far as human reason, 
alone, can discern what moral accountability is. 



CHAPTER XVIII, 



Moral Accountability. 

145. Distinguished as man is from all other ani- 
mals by his physical and intellectual qualities, he is 
much more distinguished from them, by those which 
are called moral. He is the only animal who is ca- 
pable of conceiving beforehand, whether an intended 
act, will, or will not conform, to some known law, 
or rule of right. It is certain, that he only, of all 
animals, is capable of forming abstract rules, and 
of applying them to actions done, or intended to be 
done. He only is capable of feeling a sense of com- 
punction and remorse ; and, beyond all question, 
the only one who can associate with transgression, 
the fear of punishment by an authority far higher 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 85 

than any, known to him in this life. However in- 
scrutable the nature of physical and intellectual 
qualities may be, the powers given to man, when 
properly cultivated, are sufficient to dispel all dark- 
ness, and mystery, concerning his moral duties. 

146. As before intimated, all controversial dis- 
cussion of theories and opinions, maintained by eth- 
ical writers, is intentionally avoided. The proposi- 
tions which are thought to be sound, and maintain- 
able on the authority of experience, and common 
sense are these : Man was placed on this earth, in an 
entirely different relation to his Creator, from that 
of all other animals. He only has the capacity to 
improve his condition, as to his physical wants and 
enjoyments ; he can, and no other animal can, 
ascend from a low condition, to an exalted one, by 
the disciplining of his intellectual power ; he can, 
and no other animal can, attain to a clear knowl- 
edge of the motives which ought to govern his conduct ; 
and he only knows, whether an act which he has 
done, or thinks of doing, may or may not be a 
violation of a law, which he is required to obey. These 
are unquestionable truths ; then, the inquiry which 
arises from them is this : Does the cultivation and 
improvement of man's faculties develope, and bring 
into action, his natural moral sense, just as the dis- 
cipline of intellectual faculties, enables him to know 
what is true, and what is not true, when judged of 
by some scientific rule ? It is the affirmative of this 
question, which is to be maintained. If it be 
proved, that moral perception depends on the natu- 
ral qualities of a human being, and on the course 
of education which may be applied to him, it is 
clear that the kind of education, as to morals, which 
one may have, is the most important thing that can 
happen to him, in this life. We have no doubt that 
this is so ; and that the manifold miseries which 
are seen in the world, are caused by the neglect of 
educating, and disciplining, the natural moral sense. 
The reasons, for this opinion, follow. 

147. It may be admitted, that the rude and uncul- 
tivated mind of man is not furnished with rules of 



86 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

right and wrong, so as to be capable of discerning 
between virtue and vice, or any thing, which is it- 
self good or bad, unless in some very inferior de- 
gree. Yet, it is supposed to be true, that man has 
not been found any where, destitute of all percep- 
tion, of right and wrong; though he has been found 
with very imperfect, and misguided perceptions in 
many instances, in different parts of the earth. We 
entertain no doubt, that what may be called the 
moral sense, does exist in the mind as a faculty, in 
all men to some extent, as a necessary consequence 
of their existence as men ; and that this sense may 
be developed, and disciplined, in like manner as the 
other faculties of the mind may be ; and that by suit- 
able cultivation, this moral sense acquires a discrim- 
inating power, which may be called almost intuitive 
with respect to right and wrong. It seems quite rea- 
sonable to suppose, that there may be persons who 
have this sense so developed by long continued dis- 
cipline, that they judge, infallibly, as soon as a prop- 
osition is presented to them, of its character, in rela- 
tion to the most refined rules of fitness and propriety. 

148. If we are right in this supposition, it 
must follow that fine moral sense is a clear per- 
ception, and ready application, of the laws which 
the Creator prescribed for human conduct, and, also, 
just perception and application of the conventional 
laws, which originate in social life. In proportion 
as the mind becomes well instructed in the meaning 
and use of the former description of laws, those 
which are of human institution are found to be 
right or wrong, just as they do, or do not conform, to 
those laws. We cannot resist the conviction, that 
if the Deity intended human beings should be hap- 
py, he must have intended that they should be so, 
by conforming to laws which he has prescribed ; and 
this purpose would evidently be defeated, if those 
who are made to be the subjects of laws, were not 
made capable of comprehending them, and of mak- 
ing their own laws consistent with them. 

149. In a multitude of instances the duty of obe- 
dience to laws, whether taken to be divine, natural, 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 87 

or human, must depend upon an immediate percep- 
tion of their application to that which is to be done, 
or avoided. To this it may be answered, that this 
is no more than the use of that intelligence, which 
discipline imparts to all the intellectual faculties. 
But if it be admitted, that a highly gifted and greatly 
experienced professional man, statesman, or milita- 
ry chief, may be said to have attained to a certain 
degree of facility in deciding on the course to be 
pursued, in the exigencies of his condition, so also 
may there be an acute discernment of moral fitness 
and propriety. And the rather in the latter case, 
than in the supposed one, because in these the thing 
to be decided, and the rules by which it is to be de- 
cided, may be entirely arbitrary ; whereas those of 
moral fitness must be, in their own nature, incapa- 
ble of error. But whether there be any such moral 
sense or not, in the original formation of man, it 
will sufficiently answer the present purpose to estab- 
lish, that by a course of discipline, man may attain 
to a knowledge of all those rules, which are adapted 
to secure to him all the happiness of which he is 
capable ; and to qualify him for the attainments 
which he is enabled to expect. 

150. The word morals, is derived from the Latin 
words mos, mom, moralis, meaning, manners, or rela- 
ting to manners, that is, conduct, implying motives, 
and actions. The word moral is often used in con- 
nexion with some other word, as moral agency, 
moral power, moral effect, moral courage. This 
use of the word, may not always convey a very defi- 
nite meaning. We mean by moral philosophy, in 
this volume, that code of laws, of which the germs, 
or principles, are implanted in every rational mind, 
and which are to be manifested by the develop- 
ment and discipline of the faculties ; and which are 
adapted to govern individuals, as such, and as 
members of society, throughout this life ; and which, 
sanctioned by religious reverence, lead to the ex- 
pectation of a happy future life. 

151. We lay out of the inquiry here, as we have 
done in all preceding pages, the revealed law of the 



88 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

Deity. The law of Morality is to be sought in the 
constitution of men and things. Do we believe that 
the material world proceeded from, and is governed 
by, the Deity ? That it is governed by laws to 
which he has exacted an obedience, which cannot 
be departed from ? Do we believe, that intellectual 
being proceeded from him, and that it is, in like 
manner, subjected to laws ; that intellectuality, as 
it exists in man, allows to him the liberty of choos- 
ing, whether he will act in one manner or another? 
Do we believe, that this liberty of choosing, could 
have been given to man, unaccompanied with a ca- 
pacity to learn the consequences of choosing well 
or ill ? Do we believe, that man has availed him- 
self, to some extent, of this capacity ; and that he 
has learned, more or less perfectly, what these laws 
are, which were intended to govern his choice ? 
Do we believe, that he has improved his condition, 
from age to age, by studying and applying these 
laws ? Do we believe, that in all the term of life 
permitted to each individual, he is under the neces- 
sity of doing certain acts for himself, and relatively 
to those with whom he is associated by family ties, 
by social bonds, and by the using of those things 
which minister to his well being, consistently with 
the rights which others may have therein ? Do we 
believe, that he ought to abstain from acts which 
are injurious to himself, and to others ; and from 
acts which disturb the good order and harmony, of 
the political association of which he is necessarily 
a member ? 

152. If we so believe, then such belief must be 
followed by the conviction, that we must ascertain 
and conform to the rules which are adapted to ac- 
complish these ends of our being. Morality, then 
lies in knowing, and in conforming, to these rules. 
In the proportion in which these rules are known to 
us, and observed by us, we shall conform to the 
will of the Creator, as discernible by us, in the na- 
ture of his creation ; and in the proportion in which 
we are uninstructed in these laws, or are disobe- 
dient to them, when known to us, we shall fall short 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 89 

of obtaining the good of which we are capable. 
Gross ignorance, and wilful disobedience, are the 
causes of suffering in body, and in mind. 

153. Those who are instructed, are favored with 
a monitor under the name of conscience , which never 
fails to perform its duty. The character of this 
monitor, is derived from the state of improvement to 
which the human race attain. It is such, in each 
individual, as he makes it to be. In some individ- 
uals its influence is feeble, in some ever active and 
severe ; in some misdirected, and leading to absurd 
consequences. This may be so, because of the nar- 
row and misconceived rules, which conscience en- 
forces. Conscience operates in every mind ; it op- 
erates well or ill, usefully or mischievously, accord- 
ing to the character of the mind in which it resides; 
one may be strictly conscientious in things of imag- 
inary importance, and even revolting to sound rea- 
son, and good sense. 

154. Without adverting to revelation to prove 
that the spirit of man is immortal, we have assumed 
that it is so, in the preceding pages. But this all- 
important fact, cannot be left on assumption, merely. 
We have, then, to inquire whether the light of na- 
ture discloses to us immortality. We know not that 
the tenor of human life ought to be different from 
what it should be, whether the spirit of man is 
transferred to another life, or not. We discern 
nothing in revealed law, which ought to vary that 
conduct which will result in man's greatest earthly 
good, if he is not to live again. Whatever revela- 
tion may add to man's duties, it takes away no law, 
and impairs no law, which it would not be for his 
good, faithfully to observe, if life begins and ends in 
this frail being. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

On Immortality. — There is an Immortal Spirit in Man. 

155. We propose to consider this subject of im- 
mortality, by the same light which has hitherto 



90 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 



guided us. We do not say that we expect to de- 
monstrate the immortality of the soul ; but we do 
expect to find truths, which will furnish inferences 
that it is immortal. 

The proofs of this proposition, as derived from re- 
vealed religion, are not now to be considered. We 
shall go by the truths which the human mind is ca- 
pable of perceiving, and by the inferences which 
can be drawn from these truths. We shall be met, 
perhaps, at the threshold with the objection, that 
nothing in the nature of proof can be drawn from 
this source, because, there is no truth within our 
knowledge, which proves the existence of an im- 
mortal spirit ; nor any truths from which an in- 
ference can be reasonably drawn that there is such 
a spirit. If this be so, we admit that the argument 
must fail. It is also admitted, that with the excep- 
tions which are found in the Scriptures, there is no 
satisfactory evidence, that the disembodied spirit 
has been seen by any mortal. We know not of any 
useful purpose, (with the exceptions above referred 
to) which would require that the spirit of man 
should be seen of the living. And we think it is 
irreconcileable with the qualities of our nature, so 
far as we can comprehend them, that spirit, what- 
ever that may be, should be perceptible by mortals. 
There are many narrations which tend to show, 
that supernatural appearances have been witnessed. 
No credit is due to these. They are to be accounted 
for by recurring to truths, and to inferences from 
them. It is a truth that the mind may be affected 
by delusions. External objects may seem to the 
mind to exist, which do not exist. There are many 
well authenticated facts of this sort. 

156. How this delusion, which has no being but 
in the mind, is produced, is not known to us. All 
accounts of apparitions, and supernatural occur- 
rences, are undoubtedly to be referred to some 
mental error. We think it may be assumed, that 
it is contrary to the truths known to us, and to the 
inferences which must be drawn from them, that 
the immortal spirit can be perceived in a disem- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 91 

bodied state, by the human senses. What natural 
evidence, then, can we have that there is such 
spirit ? We answer, that we are to take all the 
truths that bear on this inquiry, and make reason- 
able inferences from them. Among these truths we 
rank the following. 

157. First. The universe is the work of one God. 
All its parts constitute a united, consentaneous 
whole. Every part acts, or may act, when motion 
is given to it, relatively to the whole. There are 
laws of analogy which pervade the whole ; as well 
as general and particular laws, which act always in 
like circumstances, to the same ends. Among these 
analogies we may select as examples : The great 
principle of waste, supply, and renovation ; the 
analogy of organic bodies ; the resemblance which 
the vegetable creation bears to animated being, in 
the vessels, ramifications and circulations ; and the 
analogy which exists between the circulation of 
fluids, in vegetable and animal being, and that of the 
waters of the earth. The principle of universal at- 
traction, and the relation which everv one of the 
globes, floating in the vast expanse around us, bears 
to all others. Every part of created being has 
some relation to, and connexion with, all other 
parts. It is not certainly known that all this is so ; 
but so many truths are certainly known, as to pre- 
sent inferences so obvious, so satisfactory, and so 
conclusive, that the mind cannot refuse its assent 
to them. 

158. Secondly : It must be admitted that all cre- 
ated being came from the universal Deity, whose 
attributes, so far as can be discerned, are forced 
upon the mind. From these truths we infer, that 
nothing which He has made was made in vain, or 
without design, or without some useful purpose. All 
that is known of man, comes within these general 
rules, always keeping in view, that man is a free 
agent, and that one is not to suppose, that the Deity 
intended he should necessarily commit the errors, 
follies, and crimes, which spring from the exercise 
of the liberty given to him. We are not to judge 

10 



92 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

of man from the ignorance and vice, which mark 
the course of certain individuals ; nor from the be- 
nighted and low condition in which some nations 
are seen. But we are to judge of him by this unde- 
niable truth : that he is made capable of improve- 
ment, and that the progress of improvement must, 
from obvious causes be slow ; and that what is 
generally true of all the human race, under all the 
variety of circumstances in which they are seen, 
must be founded in the general law of man's nature, 
ordained by his Creator. These circumstances de- 
pend on the kind of government under which men 
live, the national habits, the degree of intelligence 
which they have attained to, and the influence 
which the knowing and the privileged, have exer- 
cised over the mass of men ; and on the climate in 
which they happen to be placed ; and perhaps, 
more than on everything else put together, on tra- 
ditionary habit, everywhere the relentless enemy 
of improvement. To mankind, however thus di- 
versified, the sentiment of immortality has been 
almost common. Some persons who do not believe 
in immortality, and even some who maintain it, 
allow no weight to the universality of this senti- 
ment. They say it proves nothing ; that it is natu- 
ral to man to desire to live again ; and that such 
desire establishes nothing as to the certainty of 
future life. To this we disagree. We go back to 
the truth, that the sentiment springs from the or- 
ganization of the human mind. That it appears 
under all the aspects in which man appears. That 
it could not, and would not appear, if it did not 
spring from that power from which man himself 
originates. Why should the thought of immortali- 
ty have entered the human mind naturally, if it 
have no foundation ? Is there any thing else which 
men imagine of themselves which is known to be 
unfounded, or believed to be so ? Since, then, the 
Creator has given this sentiment so commonly to 
the human mind, and since we cannot suppose that 
any sentiment is found there, and especially one- so 
materially affecting existence, as this, without his 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 93 

authority, we think it is entitled to great respect in 
estimating the certainty of future life. 

159. Thirdly. It is a truth known to every one 
that there is something in him* which he calls mind. 
It is with this part of himself that he recalls the 
past, acts on the present, and regards the future. 
It is with this that he conceives of the Deity, and 
forms the sublime conception of his existence, at- 
tributes and presence. However depraved, and 
shocking the sentiment is sometimes seen to be in 
some nations of the earth, it is, nevertheless, an 
universal one, among mankind, that there is some 
intelligence, superior to themselves, which is to be 
worshipped. This is the natural offspring of the 
thinking part of our nature, and this is a truth. Is 
the inference fairly to be made from that truth, 
that this something may exist when the organiza- 
tion in which it appears, returns to dust ? What 
sound reason is there for supposing that this is not 
a mere consequence of organization of material 
substance ? We answer to this, that it cannot be 
conceived that matter, whatever matter may be, 
can have that power. How can we conceive that 
any arrangement of material particles should pro- 
duce memory, imagination, reasoning, love, fear, 
conscience, religion ? That matter should ever 
have this power, is irreconcileable with truths 
which press irresistibly on every observing mind. 
This thinking something, then, is not matter. 
Some persons who deny to man an immortal spirit, 
but who must admit that he thinks, say this : let 
it be that man thinks, and that matter cannot 
think, and that there is something in man which is 
distinguishable from matter, and that through that 
something he is immortal, have not other animals 
that same something in them ? Do not animals 
think ? And if immortality is to be affirmed of all 
animals that think, are not other animals, as well 
as man, immortal ? To this we answer, that there 
is no truth, there is no inference from any truth, 
that leads to the conclusion that other animals 
think ; or if they do, that the sort of thinking which 



94 



MORAL CLASS BOOK, 



they are gifted with, is connected with immortality. 
We shall not shun, nor attempt to conceal the in- 
ference which the apparent intelligence of animals 
seems to furnish. We admit that this argument is 
plausible. We meet it by assuming, that the very 
best intelligence found in the animal creation, does 
not prove that they have any of that intellectuality 
which connects them with future life. We rely on 
this truth ; that no animal which has not the dis- 
cipline of human intelligence is capable of any im- 
provement. To each one of all the varied tribes, 
there is a prescribed, an unchangeable law, from age 
to age. By that law they are bound. The most 
intelligent of the animal creation, and the most 
teachable are the dog, the horse, and the elephant. 
They are man's pupils. Left to themselves they 
are incapable of change. They are the same now, 
which they were from the earliest knowledge of 
them. The skilful beaver, and the more skilful 
bee, are the same which they were when first 
known to man. It is not so with our race ; we are 
moving on in the long course of improvement. 
We are removing gradually the veil which is hung 
over the natural world ; we are casting stronger 
and stronger lights, on the moral and social nature 
of man ; we are gradually obtaining, by the light 
of reason, more clear and more grateful perceptions 
of the one only and true Sovereign of the universe. 
These are the qualities of man which distinguish 
him from the brute ; and these truths force on us 
the inference, that brutes are of the earth, and re- 
turn to the earth ; that man is of another, and far 
more exalted being, and to that he is destined. 

160. Fourthly. Such reasonings, it may be re- 
plied, are plausible, but not satisfactory. The 
brute returns to the dust, and does not man return 
to the dust?. When that unknown something in 
him which we call life ceases, is he not decompos- 
ed and mingled with the natural world ? and how 
is this well known truth to be reconciled with the 
supposition, that something in him survives this 
ruin ? 



MORAL CLASS BOOK- 95 

Certainly that which came from the earth re- 
turns to it. But we have shown that there is some- 
thing in man which cannot be of the earth. If this 
be so, it only remains to show, that this something 
may survive that which is earthly ruin. This can- 
not be directly proved, for as we have before re- 
marked, no one has seen the disembodied spirit. 
But as this thinking something did exist, as the senti- 
ment is universal that it may continue to exist, inde- 
pendently of the material frame ; as this something 
has a progressive nature, as we have seen in the 
power which man has to improve ; as it is not im- 
possible that there should be a separate existence, 
what are the inferences which the mind is enabled 
to draw as to a future state of being ? Let us first 
dispose of some objections which have been often 
urged against the proposition of future life. Among 
these are, that man belongs to a material system ; 
and that it is irrational to suppose, that being seen 
to be such, there should be anything in his nature, 
which is separable from that system. This objec- 
tion has been impliedly answered before. 

161. No one will deny that there is a Creator, 
and that he is of superior immaterial intelligence, 
and that this intelligence acts on the material uni- 
verse. No one will deny that this universe is one 
united whole ; that material and intellectual man 
composes part of it. What truth or what inference 
from any truth forces on us the belief, that so much 
as is intellectual must be limited to this earth ; and 
cannot exist elsewhere ? Is existence elsewhere, 
so irreconcileable to reason, that reason must re- 
ject it ? Why is it so ? because one cannot see how 
it should be so. Let us see how many things and 
facts there are, within our daily observation, which 
are no less marvellous, than would be the fact, that 
the thinking something survives. Can any one ac- 
count for the fact that his muscles obey his will ? 
that the vegetable and animal substances which he 
receives as food, assimilate with and become part 
of himself? Can any one account for the action of 
his memory ? For the connexion between the will 
10* 



96 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 



and the utterance of articulate sounds ? Can any 
one account for the succession of vegetable and an- 
imal being ? What is that in a seed which sends 
one part of it downwards into the earth in the form 
of roots, and another part of it upwards through the 
surface, into the air ? How are all the transforma- 
tions from one sort of animal being into another ef- 
fected ? How are the essences of flowers, and 
vegetables, made capable of a distinct and continued 
existence, when the organization from which they 
come, has been destroyed in the process ? 

162. It is not insisted, because no answer can be 
given to these questions, that, therefore, the human 
soul survives the ruin of the body ; but this, that 
if it do, it is not more wonderful than that such 
things, which are within our observation, should 
occur. But then it may be said, that though all 
these things do occur, they belong to what we 
know to be the mere revolutionary succession of 
the natural world. All these things are confined 
within a limited sphere, viz. to this earth. This is 
true. But does it follow, that the thinking sub- 
stance manifested through an earthly organization, 
necessarily belongs to the sphere of the earth ? 
What is the limit of its action while so manifested ? 
Does it not fly from world to world, search out the 
laws of the Creator, and come into his very pres- 
ence in the admiration of his works, and in the feel- 
ing, which no man can escape from, of obedience 
to his will ? Is it then limited to the earth ? or does 
it belong to some proper sphere in the universe, of 
which the earthly being, is one, and perhaps the 
first of a succession, though far beyond the limited 
view which is permitted to us here ? 

163. It is not assumeed that it is, or can be dem- 
onstrated by the light of nature only, that man has 
an immortal spirit. But all the truths which human 
power can put together, and the necessary infer- 
ences from them, disclose to man a strong assurance 
that it is so ; and on the other hand, it is certain, 
there is no truth, nor any inference from any truth, 
that presses upon him a conclusion, that this can- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 97 

not be so. If, then, there were nothing 1 but the 
light of nature for our guide, the judgment of the 
rational mind would be, that there is no probability 
that earthly death is the end of life ; its judgment 
further is, that all which comes to that mind in the 
form of truth, and all the fair deductions therefrom, 
place the expectation of life near to certainty. We 
have one thing more to add : let us look through 
the created system ; let us consider man as he is, 
and may be, physically, intellectually, and morally; 
let us consider his term of years ; what he suffers 
and enjoys ; the restless action of his mind ; his 
abstract conception of death, its certainty as to him, 
and his apprehensions of what may follow it ; Con- 
ception, certainty and apprehension, which are un- 
known to every animal but man. Let us consider, 
too, man's views of the Deity ; of his awful works, 
of his own state of being as connected with one of 
endless duration ; and, also, that so far as we can 
discern, nothing that is created is annihilated, though 
it may often change its state of being. Then, 
these things being so, how can we reconcile it with 
our conceptions of the Deity, that he intended for 
man, no more or better, than that he should come 
forth like a flower, eat like a brute, laugh and weep, 
through his brief moment, and disappear, and be 
lost, in the revolutions of the material world. 

164. Man is left in no doubt on these subjects. 
All the natural hopes and aspirations of man, are 
assured to him by the Creator's own revelation of 
himself. Is this so ? How is he assured of it ? 
By the Christian religion. Certainly there is such 
religion in the world. There are very many who 
profess that religion. Its professors entertain very 
different opinions of its nature and obligations. 
Some creeds, and modes of worship, are apparently 
of human invention, and do no honor to a merciful 
and omniscient God. If it were of divine origin, 
would it not be better understood, and better ap- 
plied to human wants and duties than it is seen to 
be ? How can it be, that such a God should have 
sent to the earth as a beneficent gift, such disclosure 



98 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

of himself, and of human relation to himself, as are 
seen to be declared by men ? Nor only declared, but 
maintained with the most intolerant spirit, and even 
with bloody and exterminating violence, wherever 
its votaries can use the arm of power ? This reli- 
gion then does not prove itself. Its assumed origin 
cannot be proved to human conception, in any other 
manner than that by which all other things are 
proved, that is, by reason. If reason tells us that 
there is such a religion, and what it is, it must be 
received and obeyed ; otherwise it must be ranked 
with the exploded fables of the heathen world. 

165. Let us proceed then to examine this se- 
rious subject by the light of reason. Let us keep 
in view, what the Deity has manifested himself to 
be, in his magnificent works ; and what He has 
made or permitted man to be, and where He has 
placed man in the scale of being, and thence attempt 
to know, whether there be a revelation of God's 
will to man, and what it means. 



- CHAPTER XX. 

Revealed Religion, 

INTRODUCTION. 

166. We have hitherto followed plain reason as 
the proper guide to a knowledge of the Creator's 
purposes. We know not of any other guide to a 
knowledge of Christian truth. If there be such a 
thing as a religion revealed to man,, by the Deity, it 
must be known to man in one of two modes; first, 
by direct inspiration : secondly, by examining the 
evidence of its truth, and judging of it by the under- 
standing. In these days, no one pretends to be in- 
spired. Those who pretend to comprehend .the 
nature of religion in any other way than that in 
which they understand any other matter, necessa- 
rily received, or rejected, upon evidence, must be 
deceivers, or deceived. Many men have been very 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 99 

sincere Christians, who were gifted with extraordi- 
nary powers of mind, and who had attained to great 
eminence in all the departments of learning. Their 
natural powers, and the diligent cultivation of 
them, qualified such men the better to investigate 
Christian truth by the same rational means, which 
they applied to acquire flie knowledge of truth, in 
natural and intellectual philosophy. At the head of 
such men, (independently of those who have offi- 
cially devoted themselves to religious teaching, 
many of whom are of the highest order, as to intel- 
lectual power,) we may place Sir Isaac Neicton and 
John Locke. There are many others who are enti- 
tled to eminent distinction. In some respects, Lord 
Bacon is their equal. But the two first have given, 
in the most decided manner, their testimony to the 
truth of revelation, after a long and searching ex- 
amination, which no two other men, that ever lived, 
were more capable of making. It is well known 
that Locke, who was an original discriminating 
thinker, a man of business, and a polished man of 
the world, and who left but little to his followers to 
do in illustrating the qualities of the human mind, 
distinguished himself in proving the truth and rea- 
sonableness of revelation. He passed his long, busy, 
and happy life, in the observance of Christian pre- 
cepts, and died, in the certainty of their divine ori- 
gin. He found nothing mysterious, or incompre- 
hensible, in Christianity. On the contrary, he re- 
garded it, as a clear and simple exposition of those 
rules which enjoin duty to one's self, to one's fellow 
men, and to the Creator. He seems to have been 
aware that religion had been greatly misconceived 
of, and injuriously perverted. He, therefore, warns 
the pious against enthusiasm, and against myste- 
rious delusions, which lead them away from the 
practical, and salutary uses, of Christian belief. 
Can it be doubted, that the calm, rational, and sat- 
isfying views of this eminent man, are worthy of 
respectful imitation ? 

167. We are sensible of the grave responsibility 
of introducing the subject of religion, among youth- 



100 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

fill persons ; the more so, because there are many 
denominations of Christians in this country. We 
consider this difference, to be the natural conse- 
quence of the freedom of opinion which reigns in 
this happy land. It is not to be expected that all 
minds should entertain the same belief. It is seen, 
that there are differences of opinion on all other 
subjects, whether serious, or insignificant. Unan- 
imity is the less to be expected in a matter so seri- 
ous as that, which prescribes the duty of the crea- 
ted, to the Creator. Each one knows, that in this 
responsibility, he must act for himself; and that he 
must take the final, and lasting consequences of 
conformity, or error. One is not sure that differ- 
ence of opinion, in religious belief, has not a quick- 
ening, and beneficial effect. Suppose that there were 
a perfect accordance among all who profess Chris- 
tianity, would not interest in religion be far less fer- 
vent than it now is known to be ? The world has 
seen such an experiment, carried on for nearly a 
thousand years. From the beginning of the sixth, 
to the beginning of the sixteenth century, there 
was but one faith, and one Supreme Head, of the 
only church, known throughout Christendom. — 
What Christianity was, and what it was not, through 
this long lapse, history has not failed to disclose. 
It was in this time, that the darkness of ignorance, 
and barbarism, overshadowed society ; and bound 
the mind, as well as the person, in chains. The 
first step in dispelling this darkness, was a differ- 
ence in religious opinion. The character of society 
began, then, to change, and has been changing for 
the better, continually since. We assume not to 
judge, which of the various denominations, is right, 
or wrong. We know that all Christians, do, and 
must agree in one thing; that is, that among the 
fruits of Christianity, is proper moral conduct. 
With religion so far, and no farther, we presurrie to 
go. We disturb no one in his religious faith ; nor 
shall we, in the attempt to describe religion, as the 
sanction of morals, express one sentiment that has 
any reference to sectarian faith or practice. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 101 

168. Revealed Religion. The word Religion is de- 
rived from the Latin language. It is said to be 
formed from re and ligo, to bind anew, and to have 
been used to express an oath or vow to the gods, 
which the Romans regarded as a sacred obligation. 
An eminent Roman derives this word from religare, 
to reconsider, in which sense it may mean, diligent 
study of whatever pertains to God. Others derive 
it from religare, to bind fast ; in this sense it may 
mean the obligation which exists in the mind in 
relation to some superior power. The commonly 
received meaning of Religion, among Christians, is 
a belief in the revelation of God's will to man ; by 
which, duty to ourselves, to our fellow-men, and to 
God, is made known. It implies obedience to that 
will, accountability, and rewards and punishments. 
The word Religion is also used as meaning the 
creeds and forms of worship, which prevail among 
all nations who are ignorant of the Christian dis- 
pensation. In this general sense, all human beings 
have some sort of religion, unless the miserable 
race who were found in Australia, in modern days, 
are an exception. In this comprehensive sense it 
includes Christianity, and all the varieties of Pagan 
and Mahometan worship. In no aspect does man 
appear more odious and revolting, than in religious 
belief and worship, where Christianity is unknown. 
Nor is it to be denied, that many things of human 
invention, have been associated with the religion 
which was declared by Jesus of Nazareth. The 
wars, the cruel persecutions, and the consequent 
sufferings which have occurred, in the name of 
Christianity, are suited to the irrational and barba- 
rous nature of Paganism, and are wholly irrecon- 
cileable with the mild and peaceable spirit of the 
Gospel. Such events should be charged where 
they rightfully belong, that is, to human folly, error, 
and crime, and not to the teaching of revelation. 
Tears and blood have flowed so copiously, because 
man has assumed to judge for his fellow-men, how 
they should believe and worship ; and because he 
has used the force of temporal power, to establish 



102 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

this odious despotism. Regarded in its true and 
intended uses, revelation is the most gracious and 
important of all the gifts which have been bestowed 
on the human family. It lights the way through 
what would be, without it, a dark and incompre- 
hensible region which human reason had attempted 
in vain to explore. 

169. If revelation be entitled to be received as 
true, its importance cannot be overrated ; and no 
greater service can be rendered to youthful minds 
than to make it understood and believed by them. 
This we shall attempt to do, proceeding however 
under the guidance of great and illustrious men; 
and assuming no more than to present their views 
in the simplicity which the occasion calls for. 

170. The Old Testament is held by all Christians 
to contain the history of a people, who were select- 
ed by the Deity to receive the revelation of his will. 
All who have read this volume as it should be read, 
know, that it sets forth in the most unquestionable 
manner, the existence, the presence, and the gov- 
ernment of the Supreme Being, and the promise of 
a future life. No writings have come down to us 
from any one of the many nations who were con- 
temporaneous with this people. And although the 
Old Testament is a connected history of the Jews 
through 1700 centuries, it nowhere appears from it, 
that any of the nations with whom the Jews were 
in some way connected, or engaged, had any writ- 
ings of a prophetic or historical nature among them. 
This circumstance adds something to the proofs, 
that the Jews were a people chosen to receive, and 
to perpetuate, a revelation made to them, and to 
them only. The proofs which the Old Testament 
contains of its own authenticity, and purposes, are 
most conclusive, and most certainly so to all rea- 
sonable minds, when considered in connexion with 
events therein foretold, and now known to have oc- 
curred. The internal evidence of the authenticity 
of the Old Testament is found in the character of 
its writings. Many of these writings were made at 
a time when all other nations but the Jews, were in 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 103 

a state of comparative ignorance, and barbarism. 
Yet the writings of the inspired historians and pro- 
phets of the Jews, are, for sublimity of thought, and 
beauty of expression, unrivalled among all the 
works which cultivated and refined genius has 
since been able to produce. When we desire to 
speak, as becomes us, of the attributes of the Deity, 
we borrow the language of Job. If we would set 
forth the overruling providence of the Almighty, 
we use the words of the prophets, who claimed to 
have inspiration from Him. In all Christian church- 
es, when we would render just adoration to the 
Most High, we repeat the devotional poems of Da- 
vid. When we would speak of man as he is, and 
of the world as it is, we find the terms which we 
want in the wisdom of Solomon. But that which 
commands our assent to this sacred volume, is the 
prophetic declaration of events, then far hidden in 
futurity ; and which we now know to have occurred, 
and to be in the course of fulfilment. 

171. There are different interpretations of the 
prophetic writings, but the most respected writers 
agree, that many events which have occurred at 
different periods, correspond strictly with prophesy. 
These have been pointed out, and applied by differ- 
ent authors. We do not intend to enter into the 
prophesies if we could do it. This would be going 
far beyond our limits, and is unnecessary to the 
purpose. There is one however within general 
notice, — in the dispersion of the Jews, and in the 
preservation of their distinct national character 
throughout the world, while every nation which 
existed at the time of their dispersion, has long 
since disappeared. We need only to express a con- 
currence with those writers, who consider the ap- 
pearance of the Messiah to have been distinctly and 
clearly foretold, and especially with Paley, who has 
given the authority of his name to this opinion. 
He appears to have been aware of the objections 
which had been raised to the prophetic authority, 
but he considers the three last verses of the 52d 
chapter and the whole of the 53d chapter of Isaiah, 
11 



104 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

as intended to disclose the advent of the Saviour. 
This prophesy was announced seven hundred years 
before the happening of the event. We find the 
same opinion maintained by an eminent scholar* 
who belonged to the gospel ministry in our own 
country, whose removal from his labors in the 
midst of usefulness and years, is still feelingly re- 
membered. His words are, 

172. c It is certain that about eighteen hundred 
years ago, Jesus, this extraordinary person, ap- 
peared, whose birth, life, death, resurrection, and 
ascension, completed a series of astonishing and, as 
we believe, miraculous events. This Jesus claimed 
the character of the long expected Messiah, the 
light and salvation of the world ; and under this 
character he is received by all who embrace his 
religion and acknowledge his divine authority. 

i When the fulness of time was come, God sent 
forth his son. The fitness of the moment appears, 
in the first place, from this undeniable fact, that 
there was, at that time, a general expectation 
throughout the world of the advent of some illus- 
trious prophet and deliverer, who should change 
the aspect of human affairs. The rumor seems to 
have advanced from the east, and to have even 
reached the ears of the Roman emperor. We shall 
omit the scriptural proofs of this general expecta- 
tion till we have produced some remarkable pas- 
sages from three independent and unbiassed authors 
of that age. The first is from Josephus, the Jewish 
annalist of that tremendous war which ended in the 
destruction of his nation ; a man, all whose preju- 
dices were against the Messiahship and religion of 
Jesus. He is speaking of the causes, which stimu- 
lated the Jews to revolt from the authority of the 
Romans. " But that which principally encouraged 
them to the war," says he, " was an ambiguous 
oracle, found also in our sacred writings, .that about 
that time some one from Judea should obtain the 
empire of the world. This they understood to be- 

* The Rev. Joseph Stevens Buckminster. (Sermons.) 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 105 

long 1 to themselves, and many of their wise men 
were mistaken in their judgment ; for this oracle 
referred to the government of Vespasian, who was 
proclaimed emperor in Judea." This you observe 
is the explanation of Josephus, in compliment to 
his Imperial master. The second is from Suetonius, 
a Roman historian, who wrote, about the same 
time, the biography of the Emperors. His words 
are these : " There had been for a long time all 
over the east, a notion firmly believed, that it was 
in the books of the fates, that some one from Judea 
was destined, about that time, to obtain the e*npire 
of the world." The third passage is from Tacitus, 
an historian of veracity and universal credit. He 
had been relating the calamities of the Jews, which 
preceded the destruction of their city, and then ob- 
serves, " that the mass of the people entertained a 
strong persuasion, that it was mentioned in the an- 
cient writings of priests, that at that very time the 
east should prevail, and some one from Judea ob- 
tain the empire of the world. These ambiguities." 
says Tacitus like the rest, " predicted Vespasian 
and Titus ; but the common people, according to 
the usual influence of human passions, having once 
appropriated to themselves this destined greatness, 
could not be brought to understand the true mean- 
ing by all their adversities." There are other pas- 
sages in heathen authors, which I think it unneces- 
sary to mention, which prove that this expectation 
was prevalent at this time in the oriental world, 
and especially in Judea. These surely are remark- 
able attestations ; and the many instances of per- 
sons, who appeared in Judea about this time pre- 
tending to be the Messiah, and collecting vast 
numbers of deluded Jews around them, facts re- 
peatedly mentioned by the historians of that day, 
are additional proofs of this general persuasion.' 

173. i If we turn now to the New Testament, we 
shall find this state of things corroborated there by 
many incidental circumstances. The state of the 
public mind in Judea is indicated by the anxiety of 
Herod upon hearing of the birth of a remarkable 



106 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

child in Bethlehem, and by the visit of the eastern 
Magi. Still more illustrative is the thronging of 
the multitude to John upon his first appearance, 
and the message of the Pharisees and priests to in- 
quire, if he were the Christ.' 

174. ' In a word, every thing in profane history 
and in the evangelical narrative proves, that the 
minds of the men of that age were wrought to a 
high pitch of expectation, that the great prophet 
and king would soon come into the world. But 
what was the source of this universal expectation 
at this moment ? I answer, that I can discover or 
imagine nothing, except what these historians them- 
selves assign as the authoritv, the oracles of the 
Jewish scriptures. This was the fulness of time 
for the advent of the Messiah, because it was the 
time predicted in prophesy. To the prophets, 
Christ and his apostles, repeatedly refer ; and to me 
it appears, that if every other prediction of a Mes- 
siah in the Old Testament were allowed to be am- 
biguous, the single prophesy in the fifty third chap- 
ter of Isaiah would be sufficient to mark out the 
person we have acknowledged. It is too long to be 
quoted here, but it may safely be asserted that the 
description contained in it applies, in the most re- 
markable manner, to Jesus of Nazareth, and to no 
other person within our knowledge, who ever lived. 
It is the prophesy, which engaged the attention of 
the Ethiopian eunuch, and which Philip explained 
to him in the only manner in which it can be ap- 
propriated by any ingenuous man, who has read the 
history of Jesus of Nazareth.' 

175. c But you will inquire, perhaps, what predic- 
tion so accurately marks the time of the Messiah's 
advent, as to have excited this extraordinary ex- 
pectation at this precise period. I must acknowl- 
edge, that some of those passages which are com- 
monly alleged, particularly the mention-of Shiloh, 
in Genesis, and the desire of all nations, in Haggai, 
do not appear to me sufficiently indubitable in any 
interpretation, which they have hitherto received. 
There is however a remarkable passage in Daniel 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 107 

the celebrated prophesy of the seventy weeks, 
which, if there were no other, appears to me suffi- 
cient to have authorized the general expectation we 
have mentioned. In this celebrated prediction then, 
it clearly appears that in about five hundred years 
from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, after the cap- 
tivity, the Messiah should appear. From whatever 
date the reckoning is made, or whatever length is 
assigned to the years, the variations are not, upon 
any supposition, so great as to prevent our acknowl- 
edging that such a prophesy, wherever it was read, 
must have excited the expectations, which we are 
sure prevailed, of the appearance of the Messiah 
about the very time that Jesus lived.' 

176. ' If you add to these considerations, that 
more than one intimation is given in the prophets, 
that the Messiah should come while the second 
temple was standing, that it was well understood 
that he should be born of the family of David, and 
of the tribe of Judah, you will instantly perceive 
that he must have appeared, if at all, before the 
destruction of Jerusalem. For who does not know, 
that since that unparalleled desolation, the Jews 
have been dispersed throughout the habitable 
globe ; that they have not now the vestige of a 
temple ; that their distinction of tribes is confounded, 
that their families and genealogies are utterly lost, 
and that it became and has remained, from the hour 
of this overthrow, utterly impossible to apply the 
distinctive marks of the Messiah to any future pre- 
tender? Christ, then, must have appeared at the 
period he did, or not at all ; and in our controversy 
with the Jews this circumstance appears nearly de- 
cisive. It was the fulness of time, the consumma- 
tion of prophecy, the closing period of the Jewish 
state.' 

177. These are the opinions of two eminent men 
who devoted their lives to the investigation of the 
truth of Christianity, and to make that known to 
others, on the pledge of their sincerity, which they 
had found to be true. To these authorities, hun- 
dreds of others might be added, proceeding from 

11* 



108 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

men of like eminence for ability to know, and for 
sincerity in declaring* what they knew. If there be 
not weight enough in these illustrations to convince, 
it would be in vain to add others. 

178. If it must be admitted that the coming of 
the Messiah was foretold, the proof that Jesus of 
Nazareth was that person, may be distributed under 
the following heads : 

1. The state of the world, as to religion and mo- 
rality, at the time he came, and the probability, 
that a new revelation would then be made. 

2. The character of our Saviour, as made known 
in the New Testament, compared with prophesy. 

3. The miracles which were wrought by him. 

4. His death and resurrection from the dead. 

5. The faith and practice which he taught. 

6. The effect of revelation on human affairs. 

7. The progressive diffusion of Christianity, and 
the probability, that it will become the only religion 
throughout the earth. 

179. On the first point, the need of a new revela- 
tion to mankind, we present in the compendious and 
striking words of the writer last quoted, all that we 
think necessary to offer in the nature of proof. 

4 The testimony of Josephus, in numerous pas- 
sages corroborates that of the apostle Paul to the 
depravity of the Jews : and he somewhere observes 
that never was there a time, from the beginning of 
the world, more fruitful in wickedness, than that in 
which he lived ; and that if the Romans had delayed 
to come against their city, it must have been swal- 
lowed up by an earthquake, or overwhelmed by a 
deluge. Surely if ever the extreme corruption of a 
national religion could demand the interposition of 
Jehovah, this was the fulness of time for the ap- 
pearance of his Son. 

180. c The moral and religious condition of the 
heathen world, at the period of Christ's birth, is 
another proof that this was the most proper time 
for his appearance. In consequence of the progress 
of philosophy and other causes, the polytheism of 
ancient times had lost all its influence except with 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 109 

the lowest of the people, and there was nothing left 
to supply its place in the minds of the great. The 
fear of the gods had vanished, and with it almost 
all sense of moral obligation. Power and wealth 
had introduced into the Roman nation the most 
effeminate and selfish corruption, and the early vir- 
tues of the commonwealth were no longer known. 
In Greece the worship of the gods was the mode, 
and their temples were the theatres of an inconceiv- 
able profligacy ; and in truth the remains of their 
idolatrous superstition seemed to exist only for the 
more public encouragement of every species of infa- 
my. The glowing description which Paul gives, in 
the first chapter of Romans, of the corruptions of 
that age, is confirmed by innumerable passages in 
Pagan writers. To say all in one word, they had 
united the more dissolute vices of a luxurious age, 
with the more sanguinary crimes of. a ruder state 
of society.' 

181. On the second point, the proof lies in com- 
paring the Old and the New Testaments, together. 
This comparison has been made by learned men, 
and their opinions have been published. This com- 
parison of the Old and New Testaments, we do not 
assume to be able to make ; and if we could it 
would carry us away from our purpose. 

182. 3d. On the miracles which were wrought 
by our Saviour. We are not of opinion, as mnny 
are, that assent to Christianity as a divine revela- 
tion, depends, at this day, merely on a belief in the 
miracles which are recorded, because we believe 
that, independently of miracles, there is abundant 
proof to establish its truth. But we think it may be 
proved that these miracles did occur, with as much 
certainty, as would be required in the administration 
of justice, to dispose of property, to punish crimes, 
and even to take away life. 

183. We have heretofore shown, (Chap II.) what 
the rules of evidence are, as they operate on the 
human mind ; and how the senses are used, and 
what demonstration is. If one see, hear, smell, 
taste, or feel for himself, and credit his own senses, 






110 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

he has the highest evidence of which he is capable. 
If one use the proper means of demonstration, and 
use them rightly, he arrives at certainty. Knowl- 
edge, from such sources, is but a very small part of 
the sum of knowledge, on which human belief, and 
action, are founded. No one, now living, saw the 
landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, on the 22d 
of December 1620 ; yet no one doubts that such an 
event happened, because, those who saw it, put 
the fact in writing, which writing, or true copies 
of it, have been submitted to the senses, and the 
minds of those who now live ; and because the 
living are familiar with the natural, and necessary 
consequences of that historical event. So, there 
are very few persons, at any time living on the 
earth, who know, from any actual mensuration by 
them made, that the earth is distant from the sun 
95 millions of miles. But this is so said, and so 
written, on the authority of men, who could, and 
who did actually measure ; and who are considered 
as stating the truth. On like evidence, history, 
geography, chemistry, and all science, and all truths, 
must be received, by all persons, who could not use 
their own senses, nor their own means of demon- 
stration, in obtaining knowledge. 

184. When that which one does not know, but 
which he is concerned to know, is offered to his 
perception, through the medium of speech, or writ- 
ing, the only thing which is intuitive, is the fact, 
that one hears, or sees, the evidence presented. 
When the evidence is considered and understood, 
it may appear to the mind to be demonstrative ; 
that is, it may come in such form, and from such au- 
thority, as to be conclusive. Thus, the pupils of 
Pythagoras, in their conferences on philosophy, 
were silenced by the assertion, he said so. Some 
persons have such learning, and such habitual rev- 
erence for truth, in these days, that what they 
speak, or write, is received as absolutely certain. 
But, spoken or written evidence may amount only 
to probable, or presumptive, according to the mat- 
ter in question, and according to the credibility of 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. Ill 

him, who writes or speaks. From the nature of 
the evidence itself, or from the estimation in which 
he is held who discloses it, there may be doubt, 
uncertainty, or even discredit. It often happens, 
that matters of very serious import, are stated with 
all the solemnity which usually accompanies the 
declaration of truth, and yet turn out to be entirely 
false, either because the party, making the declara- 
tion, was deceived, or intended to deceive others. 
Evidence, depending on what is spoken, or written, 
is of daily occurrence in common affairs, and will 
deserve notice in another place. 

185. It is on historical, or written (printed) evi- 
dence, that the truth of miracles must depend, as 
to all persons who did not live when they occurred. 
The worth of this evidence is to be ascertained, by 
taking it in connexion with all the facts, and all just 
inferences from facts, which properly bear on the 
subject. If there were rational credible beings who 
saw these miracles performed, and if they have truly 
recorded what they saw ; if their word has come 
down to the present time, in such a manner, as to 
command assent ; then there is that evidence, of 
the existence of miracles, which one has of all facts 
not witnessed by himself. To this it will be an- 
swered, that such evidence applies to facts which 
could exist ; not to miracles, for they could not exist, 
for they are contrary to the laws of nature. It is, 
then, to be considered whether miracles could exist ; 
and then to consider what the e^dence of them be- 
fore us, is. 

186. What is a miracle ? That which those who 
deny the recorded miracles say, is this : The ma- 
terial world is governed by certain established laws. 
Every thing that has been witnessed, conforms to 
these laws. All experience of them is so uniform 
and certain, that when one is told, that an event 
has happened which is inconsistent with these laws, 
he must ask this question, Is it most probable that 
such event did happen, or, that he who says it did, 
means to deceive, or was himself deceived ? They 



112 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

answer, that it is most probable in every case, that 
such event did not happen. 

187. It is admitted that a miracle is an event, or 
fact, which could not have occurred, consistently 
with the laws of the material world, as known to 
men by experience. If one should see a human 
being- rise into the air, as a bird does, and sustain 
himself there by the motion of his arms, and suc- 
cessfully resisting the known law of attraction, 
this would be a matter to be wondered at ; it would 
be a miracle, because it would be unlike anything 
known to have been done. Now, to know whether 
a miracle may or may not be, we make several 
propositions, admitting that whenever any person 
finds that he must give a negative answer to any 
one in the series, the argument must stop as to that 
person, and we leave him where we found him. 

1. Is there a Supreme Being ? 2. Did the mate- 
rial universe proceed from him ? 3, Did he ordain 
the laws by which it is continued, in the order in 
which it appears to the human mind ? 4. Do hu- 
man conceptions of the power of the Supreme 
Being, produce the conviction that he can terminate 
existing, and substitute new orders, of vegetable 
and animal life ? 5. Is it demonstrated, by geolog- 
ical and fossil remains, that he has, at some past 
time, made such changes ? 6. If our conceptions of 
the Deity compel us to believe that he can change 
the condition of this globe, and of all that live on it, 
at his pleasure, «an it be denied that he may 
change, or suspend, his own laws, in part, for any 
purpose ? 7. Is man in his material, intellectual, 
and moral powers, a part of created being, and 
subject to the Divine will ? 8. May not the Deity 
make known his will, in any manner, suited to 
human powers of perception ? 9. Has not man 
the liberty of acting, or not acting, in conformity to 
that will, when declared ? 10. If he has not that 
liberty, is not the supposition of moral accountabil- 
ity, as applied to man, absurd ? 11. Is there satis- 
factory evidence that the state of the world, about 
eighteen hundred years ago, required a new revela- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 113 

tion ? 12. Would the Deity have instantaneously 
illumined all minds, and thereby negatived human 
liberty of will, or have taken a course of showing* 
his will, which would be convincing, in that mode 
of perception, by which, the human mind is accus- 
tomed to arrive at truth ? 13. Was the revelation 
of a new moral code, affecting the welfare of man 
in this life, and announcing to him the certainty of 
another, an occasion of sufficient dignity, to make 
that revelation known by means which arrest hu- 
man attention, and thereby effect the design ? 
14. Can any mode be conceived of, more suitably 
adapted to that end, than to invest the Messenger, 
sent to the earth, with power to suspend, or change, 
or substitute, some other law for that which was 
universally known and confided in? 15. If this va- 
riation from common experience may be considered 
as the most suitable means to the end, could it be 
manifested, in any manner, so striking and convinc- 
ing, as when addressed to the human senses in 
things of instantaneous operation, as restoring lost 
senses, and withered limbs, and dispelling or exter- 
minating disease, and in showing that the dead may 
rise from the tomb ? 

188. Now, it is not insisted that these inquiries, 
and propositions must be answered affirmatively ; 
we think it sufficient to insist that these things may 
be so. If an adequate and intelligible cause is de- 
manded for every effect which is produced, how 
many things, of daily occurrence, would fall under 
the denomination of miracles ? We say that it is 
sufficient to show, that the recorded miracles might 
have happened. No known truth, nor any inference 
from known truths, is opposed to the supposition, 
that affirmative answers may be given to every one 
of the propositions before stated. We add, that 
affirmative answers are consistent with conceptions 
of the Deity, with knowledge of the state of the 
world at the advent of the Saviour, and with the 
providence of the Deity, in relation to the human 
mind and character, as necessarily understood. 

189. If miracles might occur, what is the evi- 



114 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

dence that they did occur ? It must be admitted 
that the New Testament, merely as a book of his- 
tory, is as much entitled to credit as any other book 
of history, written eighteen hundred years ago. It 
stands on much stronger grounds, in this respect, 
than any other history. It is not the work of one 
man, but of many who write on the same subject, 
at different times, and places, and without any con- 
cert with each other. Yet all its parts, taken to- 
gether, constitute an accordant whole. Assuming 
then that it was written by the persons who pur- 
port to be its authors, and about thirty years after 
the crucifixion, (and most of it probably very soon 
after that event) and by persons who knew the 
Saviour, or by persons who knew those who well 
knew him, the next inquiry is, whether the facts 
which it sets forth, are entitled to credit. 

190. Those who deny the truth of revelation say, 
that these historians were deceivers, or that they 
were deceived themselves. 

Were they deceivers ? This question has been 
ably and repeatedly answered in this manner : It 
is inconceivable that any number of persons should 
plan, and carry into effect, any scheme of deception, 
without intending for themselves some sort of bene- 
fit. Such schemes must, from the very nature of 
man, intend to get riches or earthly power, or to 
gratify some evil propensity in making others suffer. 
It cannot be even pretended that the first professors 
of Christianity sought wealth. All of them are re- 
presented as poor and dependent. They did not 
seek to exercise any earthly power over others. 
They did not meddle with rulers or their subjects, 
politically. They sought neither the purse nor the 
sword- No one can imagine that they were under 
the dominion of malicious motives. They addressed 
themselves to the reason, not of any one man, or 
class of men, but to all classes. They proposed to 
them nothing but to promote their own welfare, by 
abstaining from folly, vice, and crime; to practice 
those virtues which adorn human life ; and to enti- 
tle themselves to another and better one, when this 









MORAL CLASS BOOK. 115 

life shall end. It is impossible to reconcile such 
teaching with any scheme founded on the hope of 
wealth or power, or the gratification of malice. 

191. Were they deceived? It is not pretended 
that they were deceived in any respect, unless in 
the character and mission of the Saviour, or in re- 
lation to the miracles which are ascribed to him. 
Whether they were deceived in the character and 
mission depends on the general view of the whole 
subject, including the prophetic annunciation, the 
life of the Saviour, his teachings, his own declara- 
tions of what awaited himself, and those whom he 
had chosen to follow him, and the death upon the 
cross, and the effect which revelation has had upon 
the world. All this, it may be said, does not prove 
that miracles were wrought, and all this may be re- 
ferred to possible natural causes. We are still 
withoiit proof as to the fact, that these persons were 
not deceived as to those acts which are opposed to 
the known laws of nature. To this it has been an- 
swered, that there is not in the history of the world 
any account of miracles, except in the Jewish his- 
tory, and in that of our Saviour, and as to those 
miracles which were wrought in his name. All 
others, of which there are thousands in different 
ages of the world, are well known to be frauds. 
The Christian miracles were wrought in open day- 
light, in the presence of many witnesses, and where 
all concert and contrivance were negatived ; and 
where the common use of the human senses could 
be exercised, and where the witnesses were not, 
and could not have been prepared for the effect of 
deception. In most instances, if not all, the effect 
produced, was unlooked for. The proof then de- 
pends on this ; whether these witnesses did see, or 
hear, that which they declare to have occurred. 
There is no known theory of evidence on which it 
can be asserted that they did not, but this : The 
laws of Nature, have so invariably operated, in a 
manner, so inconsistent with the supposed fact, that 
it must be taken that these witnesses were, in some 
wav, deceived, rather than that they state the 

12 



116 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

truth. This is the last resort to which those, who 
deny the evidence of miracles, must come. It re- 
solves itself merely into experience. Such reason- 
ers c.mnot say, unless they deny the power of the 
Deity, that such things could not have been, but 
only that the probability is that they did not occur, 
because such things were never known to have 
occurred. When any event, contrary to uniform ex- 
perience, is declared to have occurred, it is not to be 
taken on the dry question, whether that fact is, or 
is not contrary to experience; but all accompanying 
circumstances are to be taken into account. The 
question is not, whether one did or did not call 
a dead man from the grave, as in the case of Laza- 
rus ; but all preceding and subsequent facts, are 
to be taken in connexion with that which is assert- 
ed. Among these facts, are the character, and 
purpose of the agent, the authority under which he 
acted, the prophetic declarations as to this purpose, 
the credit given to him by contemporaries, and the 
general prevalence of his doctrines at the present 
day. 

192. It has already been shown how miracles 
might have occurred, consistently with human con- 
ceptions of the Deity. It is historically certain, 
that thousands who lived in our Saviour's time, and 
within the first century afterwards, found the demon- 
stration that they did occur, so conclusive, that they 
devoted their lives to the faith and practice, con- 
nected with belief in these miracles, and did sub- 
mit to every privation, to every suffering which 
earthly power and malice could inflict, and to the 
most distressing and cruel death. These, as we 
understand the arguments, are the grounds on which 
the evidence of miracles rests. 

193. Did He, who was crucified, rise from the 
dead ? Whether this fact was so or not, depends 
on the evidence of those who declare it to have 
been so, and on facts connected with that event. 
It is objected to on the ground, that such an event 
is opposed to the laws of Nature, and to all expe- 
rience. The same reasoning is resorted to in this 






MORAL CLASS BOOK. 117 

case as in that of miracles. It is not said that this 
event is impossible, but only that it is improbable. 
This objection has been refuted a thousand times. 
The question here, as before, is, not whether one 
who died by violence, could raise himself from the 
dead, but whether this particular person, taken in 
connexion with all that preceded and followed the 
resurrection, even down to the present day, did 
rise from the tomb ? 

194. When the miracle of the resurrection is de- 
nied on the ground of experience, the objection 
should include, that men have no experience con- 
cerning the coming of a Heavenly Messenger, the 
character and purpose of his coming, and of its con- 
sequences. In this view we have no experience, 
because the connected history, and its consequences 
do, and necessarily must, stand alone. There is 
one circumstance only, in this history, to which we 
think it useful to advert. It has been regarded by 
candid and enlightened inquirers as conclusive. It 
is this : 

That the disciples of the Saviour, were discour- 
aged and dispersed by his condemnation and death. 
This event naturally terminated all their hopes, 
since he, on whom they reposed, had died between 
two common malefactors. Unless their full belief 
had been attained to before that event, something 
more was needed, and something which would re- 
move the disbelief which the crucifixion must have 
occasioned. One of the disciples, it will be re- 
membered, denied his master thrice in one night, 
as he had been told he would do, and only one of 
the whole number attended him to witness the last 
scene. Yet it is certain, that amidst all the terrors 
and denunciations which the enraged Jews could 
oppose to the further perseverance in belief of the 
real character of the Saviour, the remaining eleven 
of the disciples did reassemble after the time ap- 
pointed for the resurrection, and did profess their 
belief, and did live accordingly ; and did go forth to 
teach the faith revealed by him who was known to 
have died on the cross, and did submit themselves 






118 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

to the well known consequences of the course which 
they voluntarily adopted. Certainly these things 
could not have been, unless these men had evidence 
which they could not resist, that Christ had risen 
from the dead. The Scriptures say they had that 
evidence by his personal presence, and that many 
others had it. And unless this was so, nothing but 
a course of delusion which cannot be reconciled 
with any experience which any one has had of hu- 
man nature, will account for the firmness, constancy 
and perseverance of the disciples, of their associ- 
ates, and of those who were taught by them. It is 
difficult to persuade one's self that these facts, 
should have been publicly stated in Jerusalem, and 
persevered in against the temporal power of that 
time, and against the malignant and cruel disposi- 
tions of individuals of that city, generally, and in a 
matter in which all who rejected revelation were 
most deeply interested, and yet, that nothing should 
have come down to us, in Jewish history, which 
has any tendency to discredit these facts. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Of the Internal^ and other Evidence, that Revelation is of 
Divine Origin. 

195. Those who lived at the time when our Sa- 
viour was on earth, and who saw the recorded mir- 
acles, and knew of the resurrection; and those who 
believed through them, at that time, had precisely 
that evidence, which is now had by all who put 
faith in the historical account of events. They had 
also prospective evidence of the utility of Divine 
Revelation, as to human conduct and character. 
Those who live, in this day, have far stronger evi- 
dence than was had when the revelation was made, 
in this respect. It is now proved, what its adapta- 
tion is to human welfare, as comprising a code of 
moral and religious rules. It is now seen, notwith- 






MORAL CLASS BOOK. 119 

standing all the perversions and corruptions which 
its worldly professors have introduced; and the 
absurd misconstructions which ignorant, though 
zealous, ones, have maintained, what it was meant 
to be. With all the deductions and allowances 
which are to be made, for such reasons, and many- 
others ; and especially for the reason of its associ- 
ation with temporal power, it can be plainly seen 
what the work of revelation is, by comparing Chris- 
tian society, with that which exists in countries, 
where the Mahometan and Pagan religions still 
prevail. From such comparison, it may be infer- 
red what the state of the Christian world would be, 
and may be, if this religion were every where under- 
stood, and applied, in its true character. 

196. It has been objected to revelation by Deis- 
tical writers, that it contains no moral precepts but 
those which were recognized by Heathen philoso- 
phers, existing, and teaching, before the Christian 
era began. This objection has been ably refuted. 
Those who maintain it, assume the historical ac- 
count of the Messiah, and consider him to be a per- 
son of low origin, and without education. If this 
were so, how could he have acquired a knowledge 
of the precepts of Heathen philosophy ? If he were 
such a person, how could he at an early age, have 
formed a system out of that philosophy, which, not 
only equals it in every thing which is merely moral, 
but far surpasses all the moral beauty which can be 
extracted from all of it together ? The assertion 
that the moral teachings of the Heathens, and of 
Jesus of Nazareth, are alike, cannot be admitted to 
be true. The wise men among the Heathens, dif- 
fered most essentially among themselves. Though 
many of their precepts were entitled, and still are, 
to high respect ; yet, all the philosophy of all of 
them, may be resolved into a sullen submission to 
inevitable fate, when the evils of life could not be 
avoided ; and into the opinion that it was lawful to 
take refuge in voluntary death, when these evils 
became intolerable. They referred the duty of 
submission to moral precepts, to no higher authority 
12* 



120 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

than to what could be learned from their percep- 
tions of nature's laws. Conformity to the will of a 
Superior Being, and accountability to him beyond 
the duration of this life, were not maintained, nor 
hardly glanced at, in any of these systems. Their 
doctrines, if they applied effectively to any person, 
did so to the enlightened few. They offered no 
efficient restraints to the indulgence of the passions 
of men : nor any compulsion beyond the power of 
the political law. 

197. The Christian system addresses itself to every 
member of the human family. Its precepts can be 
understood by every one. It makes no distinctions 
among persons, whatever their earthly distinctions 
may be. It requires fidelity and truth in every one, 
whatsoever may be his station. Although it includes 
the duties prescribed by the political law of every 
people, it includes also the strict observance of du- 
ties which no political law can embrace. It enjoins 
the practice of these duties as best suited to this 
transitory life, and refers to that which is to come, 
to enforce obedience. Nothing is found in the mo- 
ral code of Christianity which is inconsistent with 
the rational enjoyment of every good for which man 
is fitted ; so far from this, it was undoubtedly intend- 
ed to be adapted to the progressive improvement of 
social life. The precise character assumed in the 
beginning, which was then necessary to make the 
required impression and consequent change, is not 
suited to the present state of the world. The gra- 
cious and bountiful Author of the Universe could 
not have intended that human life should pass in 
privations, gloom, and penitence. Such a life be- 
longs only to those who know, and feel, that they 
are voluntary and habitual sinners ; and not to 
those who strive to live according to the Divine 
law, as disclosed to us in the created world, and in 
the revealed will. It is irreconcilable to reason, 
that the Deity intended that mortals should pass 
through this life in continued fear, if they know 
what is right, and do no intentional wrong. And 
as to those evils which are commonly called natural, 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 121 

and inevitable, according to the system which he 
has ordained, he has given us the assurance that all 
these events are right, and has given us the power 
to trust that they are so, however incomprehensible 
they may be in the narrow limits to which our per- 
ceptions extend. 

198. Surely no doubt should be entertained, that 
this life was intended to be a happy and a cheerful 
one : That all the faculties with which we are gift- 
ed should be cultivated and improved ; that all the 
means of rational and innocent pleasure should be 
cherished. Is the earth wrapped up in a gloomy 
mantle, or in a delightful verdure ? Does the veg- 
etable world put forth its leaves, its blossoms, and 
its fruits, and its delightful fragrance, in sadness and 
mourning, or in joy and thanksgiving ? Does the 
returning sleep of exhausted nature, awaken emo- 
tions of distrust and despondency, or teach us a 
tranquillizing lesson of the change which is to hap- 
pen in human being ? Does the storm of winter, 
and the snowy covering in which it clothes the 
earth, terrify us with the power of the Almighty, 
or awaken new thoughts of praise and adoration ? 
Is the animal world destined to pain and misery, 
or to pleasure and gladness ? which of its many 
tribes does not cling to life as a precious gift ? Why 
then should innocent, moral, Christian man, regard 
his God as a stern inexorable tyrant, and not as a 
gracious and beneficent Sovereign over all who 
comprehend and do his will ? 

199. Lastly. There is no reasonable doubt that 
the creed of the Christian, and his practice, when 
reasonably taught, and reasonably understood, will 
diffuse itself, in the appointed time, throughout the 
earth. However slowly that day may seem, to 
short sighted mortals to be coming, that day will 
come. Why has Christianity made so little pro- 
gress in eighteen centuries ? This question can be 
satisfactorily answered only by recurrence to the 
history of the world during that long lapse of time. 
If we had space for such a purpose, it could be easi- 
ly proved, that it is rather wonderful that Chris- 



122 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 






tianity has made so much, rather than that it has 
not made greater progress. When it shall come to 
be understood as a matter to be judged of by reason, 
there will be no cause of discouragement as to its 
universal diffusion. 

It is an unquestionable truth, that the best means 
of disseminating Christian faith and practice, is to 
cultivate the human mind, and to impart to it com- 
prehensive and philosophic knowledge. The wisest 
men have been the truest Christians. There are 
many different constructions of the nature and obli- 
gations of the Christian faith. All cannot be best. 
That which is so, will be known only as general in- 
telligence is diffused ; and as the intelligent are led 
to inquire, and to judge. 

Even the contentions among Christians them- 
selves, tend to this result. The true light of the 
gospel will eventually come out of these controver- 
sies. The people of the United States are singu- 
larly blessed that no regal or sacerdotal power, no 
political authority, presents any obstacle to free in- 
quiry. The tongue, the pen, and the press, will 
bring about the true doctrine and practice of the 
Christian dispensation, whatever that may be found 
to be. 

200. If there be any one who faithfully examines 
the book of Nature, and the book of revelation, to 
ascertain the truth, just as he would inquire into 
the reasons and probabilities on which he must 
found the expectation of any temporal benefit ; if 
after having done this, he find no assurance, and 
still doubt, let him ask himself this question : Al- 
though these things are not proved to my mind, is 
it proved to me that these things cannot be so ? If 
they may be so, how earnestly does it concern me 
to live as though they were most clearly demon- 
strated ! 

201. We have thus attempted, with what success 
others must judge, to find a reasonable foundation 
for the moral code which governs, or should govern, 
throughout human life. We have attempted to 
show that there is a Supreme Ruler, who is discov- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 123 

erable in his works, and that he has created man 
as we see him to . exist, and bound him by laws 
which he cannot break, without offending and suffer- 
ing ; — and that these laws founded in his own na- 
ture, as disclosed by reason, are confirmed by pos- 
itive revelation. We assume, then, as the basis of 
moral law, the will of god. It remains to dis- 
cern how this will applies to human condition. 

202. We are aware that in attempting to define 
moral duty we have to meet and dispose of the 
question, how can it be reconciled with the good- 
ness of the Deity that he has permitted natural, as 
well as moral evil ? Is it certain that there is nat- 
ural evil in the world ? The operation of general 
laws of which we have at best a most imperfect 
knowledge, may seem to us causes of unnecessary 
suffering. If other animals than man could reason 
on this subject, and explain all that they find to be 
inconvenient and painful, it is probable that taking 
each class by itself, the whole creation might seem 
to be unwise, and ill ordered. It is more rational 
to suppose, that in the great system of the universe, 
governed, as it must be, by general laws, (incom- 
prehensible, as they may be, by finite beings), all 
things are ordered in wisdom and benevolence. It 
is probable also, that if men were as enlightened as 
they might be, and may become, by their own ex- 
ertions, no small part of what they take to be natu- 
ral evil is, in truth, moral evil ; for infirmities of 
body, and mind, are often referred to natural evil. 
Most of them may be of earthly making. How 
far these suggestions are well founded, we shall 
endeavor to show in future pages. 



124 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

CHAPTER XXH. 

Moral Duty. 

203. We venture to hope, that the fair inferences 
to be drawn from the introductory matter which 
has been offered, are the following : 

1. That man bears to the created universe, a well 
defined and necessary relation. 

2. That his intellectual and moral nature, distin- 
guishes him from all other animals. 

3. That he has an immortal spirit, and is an ac- 
countable being. 

204. Assuming that these are truths to all ration- 
al minds, we proceed to establish the principles of 
moral action. 

1. Man belongs to a system which is undergoing 
an unceasing change and revolution ; and in which 
nothing, which bears the stamp of animal, or veg- 
etable life, is for a moment stationary. 

2. That man's life is divided into two alternating 
portions, sleep and action. That when not repo- 
sing, his mind is ever active, and is so, whether he 
wills it to be so, or not ; that it is active for good, 
or for evil ; for profitable, or for vain purposes : 
That his bodily structure is active ; some portions 
of it continually so, even without his will, and when 
he sleeps ; and that absolute stillness, when repose 
is not called for, is unnatural to him. That he 
cannot remain in any one position without weari- 
ness, and the desire of change ; that he is necessa- 
rily striving to keep what he has, or acquire some- 
thing new. That he is pressed by wants and de- 
sires, which create relations between himself, and 
the things around him, and between himself, and 
other similarly constituted beings. Hence the law 
of his intellectual and material being is action, rela- 
ting to himself, and to others, and to his Creator. 

3. That man is capable of improvement by culti- 
vating his mind, and disciplining his bodily powers; 
that there are no known limits to his capacity to 









MORAL CLASS BOOK. 125 

improve in those things which tend to his well- 
being. 

4. That man is a free agent, and permitted to 
choose for good or for evil, according to his knowl- 
edge ; and according to his firmness in conforming 
to knowledge. 

205. If these propositions are denied by any one, 
no credit is sought with him. To those who ad- 
mit them, it is intended further to show, that well 
being, here and hereafter, depends on actions done, 
and on the motives to actions : That proper actions, 
founded on proper motives, arise from knowledge 
of the laws of our being, and from obedience to 
them ; that actions which are wrong in themselves, 
or which proceed from bad motives, are occasioned 
by ignorance, which man is capable of preventing, 
and from disobedience for which he is answerable. 
No opinion is expressed on the difficult question, 
whether wrong actions, arising from positive igno- 
rance, are punishable. This, however, is certain, 
that in this life, all wrong actions, whether arising 
from ignorance, or wilful disobedience, are followed 
by suffering. Perhaps those who can enlighten 
others, and wilfully neglect to do it, may be the 
proper subjects of punishment. We hope to show 
that the whole of moral life, whether considered in 
relation to those who are well or ill informed, de- 
pends on two great principles. First : Striving to 
obtain or hold what is, or seems to be good. Sec- 
ond : Striving to be freed from, to avoid, or pre- 
vent, what is, or seems to be evil. To these two 
principles we shall attempt to bring morality, by 
which we understand nothing more or less, than the 
mode of acting in human life. 

206. The duties enjoined on rational beings, — are, 

1. Duties which one owes to himself, and to 
others. 

2. Duties which arise from domestic relations. 

3. Duties which arise in the communities of 
which each one is peculiarly a member. 

4. Duties which arise from the political relations 
of society. 



126 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

5. Duties which arise between individuals who 
are of different nations. 

6. Duties which are to be performed to the Crea- 
tor, in obeying his commands, and in rendering 
that adoration and thanksgiving, which are the 
reasonable tribute from the created, to the Creator. 

In attempting to show what are the rules by 
which human beings are to be governed in these 
several relations, we shall take for our guides 
natural law, (or the law which enlightened reason 
approves), and revealed law. We shall use all the 
commentaries on these laws, known to us, which en- 
lightened minds have given to the world, whenever 
these are applicable to the intended purpose ; though 
without encumbering the pages by quotations or 
references. We suppose that there cannot be any 
new thoughts on moral action ; and that every 
thought expressed in this book^ and worthy of re- 
spect, may be found in some other book. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Human Duties. 

INTRODUCTION. 

207. From an early stage of youth, up to adult 
age, the law of nature, and of society is, that the 
time shall be spent, in preparation for performing 
the duties which begin, when youth ends. This 
applies to both sexes, and to all conditions in life. 
All young persons are, in this respect, apprentices * 
There is a beautiful analogy between vegetable, 
and human life, in early stages. No enduring and 
valuable fruit tree, springs, at once, from the earth 
to maturity. It must* go through a period of time, 
when it yields no fruit, and when it is an object of 
continual care, and attention. Its nature must be 
considered ; the earth around it, must be kept in a 

* From the French word apprendre, to learn. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 127 

fit state to promote its growth ; its useless shoots 
must be cut off; its diseases, whether generated in 
itself, or caused by some invading foe, must be met 
and overcome. It may be let alone, and live, an 
incumbrance to the land, producing nothing worth 
gathering ; or it may be an object, on which the eye 
rests with pleasure, which its owner may be thank- 
ful for, and rationally proud to show. There is as 
much difference in the cares, anxieties, and duties, 
of raising a fruit tree, and bringing a human being 
to manhood, as the life of man is more precious, 
than that of a tree. Children are not competent 
judges of the kind of culture which is best suited to 
them. When they consider how deeply interested 
parents are, and must be, in their children, they 
ought to be assured, that what is required of them 
to obtain knowledge, must be intended for their 
benefit. There never was a person who was sorry 
and mortified that he had spent his time in diligent 
labor to learn his lessons, and perform the duties, 
which parents and instructors required. But, how 
many are met with, who are severely mortified, 
and painfully sorry, for the neglect of opportunities, 
in youth ! The youthful period, is said by those who 
have passed it, to be the happy time of life. This is 
saying what might be, and ought to be, not what 
is. Are children as happy as they mightbe ? Look 
into most of the families of the United States, with- 
out regard to poverty and riches ; what are the 
hopes, fears, wishes and wants ; and what the ex- 
pressions by word, countenance, voice, and acts, 
which one there sees, among children ? Observe 
their deportment towards each other, as an index 
to their thoughts. Notice what they say of each 
other, as an index to their feelings. See what 
tearful reluctance there is, in doing what is required 
to be done. See what ingenuity there is. to escape 
from labor. What numbers of them are sad, 
grieved, and ailing. How many of them are igno- 
rant of the proper modes of treating the mere 
physical being, to keep it in that order, which is but 
dutiful homage, and just expression of gratitude, to 
the Creator. 13 



128 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

208. When adult age is approaching, how many 
children are careful to hide their thoughts, and 
acts, from parents ; how many have already learned 
to dissemble, and to put one thing for another, when 
called to an account. And is not this the time of 
life, when a parent should know everything of 
children, which any mortal ought to know of any 
other ? Is not this the very time, when a son, or a 
daughter, should find in parents, the most sincere, 
affectionate, and confidential advisers ? And is it 
not, with very many, the time, when the parent's 
eye, ear, and voice, are shunned ? If these things 
be so, to any extent, whose fault is it ? Certainly, 
the fault of those who have the ordering of youthful 
condition. The head and the hands, are educated. 
The heart, (figuratively the seat of the affections 
and feelings on which human welfare essentially 
depends) is not educated. In other words, moral edu- 
cation, which should be the first object of solicitude, 
is too commonly, the very last. 

209. Adult age. Every male who has entered on 
this period of life, may be, at the same time, a son, 
a brother, a husband, and a father. He may be 
engaged in some one of the various departments of 
labor, (intellectual, or physical, or both), into 
which human employment is divided. He may be 
a neighbor, a member of a social community ; a 
member, also, of divers associations ; he may be en- 
trusted with some official duties ; and must be a 
member of the great social community of which eve- 
ry one is a member. Every female who is of adult 
age, may be, at the same time, a daughter, a sister, 
a wife, and a mother. She may be a neighbor, a 
member of several communities ; and, like every 
body else, must be a member of the great common- 
wealth of society. * Men, who are engaged in busi- 
ness, whatever that may be, well know, that they 
govern themselves by rules, which they were in- 
structed in, while they were passing through the 
youthful period. Every mechanic, manufacturer, 
navigator, farmer, and even laborer, acquires rules 
by which he governs himself in his vocation. These 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 129 

rules are so entirely distinct, in each case, that no 
member of any one class, can do the work of any 
other. So the scientific members of society, gov- 
ern themselves by rules, which are so distinct from 
each other, that no member of any one scientific 
class, however learned he may be in its pursuits, 
can trust himself to apply the rules of any other. 
Among females, the mistress of a family, the fol 
lower of some one of the vocations in which female 
industry appears, even a common cook, must have 
rules ; and no one among them can assume to do 
well, in a department of labor, wherein no rules of 
conduct have been acquired. If one wants to have 
a house, a ship, a mill, built, he must employ a per- 
son who knows the proper rules, and how to apply 
them. So, of scientific employments, as chemistry, 
medicine, mathematics, theology^ war, law, and 
all others. Among female vocations, the principle 
is the same. Among all these varieties, who are 
they who command confidence, and have the great- 
est success ? Those who know the best rules, and 
who have the greatest facility in applying them to 
practical use. What is that science which runs 
through all these varieties of employments, and 
makes an harmonious whole out of all the parts, 
numerous and diversified as they may be ? Nor 
only so, what is that science which governs all the 
members of the great community, all members of 
its interior communities, and which enters into all 
domestic relations, and into the inmost secrecy of 
Home ? The science of morals, sanctioned by Chris- 
tian REVELATION. 

210. The rules of this science are called for, in every 
act of human life. If there be a call for a mechanic's 
art, his rule is ready. If there be a call for a phy- 
sician's science, his rules are ready. But if one be 
called on to decide upon the nature, force, and bear- 
ing of the commonest moral obligation, where is his 
rule, when, of whom, and of what authority, did he 
learn it ? How often are persons seen in a state of 
doubt and perplexity, because they wish to do right, 
but have not, and cannot find, the rule of right ? 



130 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

How often are seen mournful errors, because the 
rule was to be created, at the moment when a well 
known and familiar rule, would be the only one to 
be used ? The truth extracted from the aforegoing 
truths is this : There are moral rules ; the young 
should be instructed in them ; they should be, like 
other rules, ready for the occasion ; ready for all 
occasions. The Author of that prayer, which is 
almost the first thing learned in infancy, knew the 
human heart. He commands suppliants to pray, 
Lead us not into temptation. This supplication is to be 
understood, Lead us so to learn THY law, that we can 
save ourselves from becoming the victims of temptation. 
Will not every experienced person admit, that the 
sorrows and miseries which he has known, and his 
keenest self accusing, were occasioned by the ab- 
sence of moral rules, when in the presence of tempta- 
tion ? Is it right to leave the young to pass to, and 
through, adult age, in the hope, that they will find 
their own moral rules, as they go on ? It would be 
as reconcilable with common sense, to require of 
a skilful farmer who had never seen the ocean, to 
take the command of a ship, to a far distant port, 
in time of war. 

211. Decline and old age. If there were proper 
moral instruction in youth ; if the treasury of moral 
rules, then acquired, were carried into use through- 
out adult age, to the time of decline ; would there 
be seen, sorrowful and dependent old age ? If 
children were well trained, and life were continued 
to them, till they became old ; and if their follow- 
ers were trained in like manner, the presence of 
the old, would be no inconvenience to the young. 
Can any one fancy to himself a more interesting 
picture, than a cheerful, pious mind, in a dissolving 
earthly frame, brigTit with the beams shed on it by 
grateful remembrance of precious counsels, guar- 
dian care, and honorable example ? To set forth, 
what is the true condition of the aged, in not a few 
instances, nor limited to any particular condition in 
society, would be a painful task. There are touch- 
ing miseries to many, in this period of life. Why 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 131 

is it so ? It may arise, sometimes, from inevitable 
misfortunes. But, if there were sound moral in- 
struction, in early youth, these misfortunes might 
have been avoided ; and if not, there might be 
sympathies and consolations, which would take 
away their bitterness. There are miseries in youth, 
and miseries in adult age, from not having moral 
rules at command. But the keenest misery is when 
one feels, that the light of his earthly day is soon 
to go down, and forever ; and when he looks back 
on a wretched waste of life ; and forward, with 
doubt and dismay ; — and when his most cheering 
hope is, that he shall live no more, and is soon to 
be forgotten where he has lived. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Duties which one owes to Himself. 

212. Life as a whole. The whole of life must be 
taken together to acquire a knowledge of its duties. 
In this respect there is a strong analogy to the nat- 
ural world. Every thing which appears to be made 
of matter, has a beginning, a duration, and an end. 
Life is a succession of parts ; infancy, youth, man- 
hood, maturity, decline, old age, and death. As 
with the vegetable kingdom, so is it with man. 
What he becomes, depends in part on his geneal- 
ogy ; as his infancy is, so will be his youth ; as his 
youth is, so will be his manhood ; as his manhood 
is, so will be his maturity ; as maturity is. so will 
be decline ; as decline is, so will be old age. If 
youth be passed in idleness, ignorance, folly and 
crime, how can one hold his way in the world, side 
by side with the intelligent, the worthy, and the 
virtuous ? If manhood be passed in low pursuits, 
in rooting in the heart evil propensities ; in wasting 
natural vigor, what awaits one in old age but pov- 
erty, pity, and contempt ? If infancy be devoted to 
the reasonable expansion of the physical and intel- 






132 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

lectual powers ; if knowledge of human duty be ac 
quired, and be rightly used, will not manhood be 
worthy, maturity respectable, decline honored, and 
old age venerable ? Life then must be taken as one 
event, made up of many successive ones. On these 
unquestionable truths we found all that is worthy 
of any notice in the following pages. 

213. Purposes of Life. Human life rightly under- 
stood, and rightly used, is a beneficent gift ; — it can 
be so understood and used. It is irreconcilable to 
reason that man was sent into this world only to 
suffer and to mourn ; it is from his own ignorance, 
folly, or error, that he does so. He is capable of 
informing himself; the means of doing this, are 
within his power. If he were truly informed, he 
would not have to weep over his follies and errors. 
It is not pretended that every one can escape at 
once, from a benighted condition, and break into 
the region of reason, and good sense. But it is 
most clear, from what is well known to have hap- 
pened in the world, that each generation may im- 
prove upon its preceding one ; and that each indi- 
vidual, in every successive period of time, may bet- 
ter know the true path, from perceiving how others 
have gone before him. There can be no miracle in 
this. It will, at best, be a slow progress : and the 
wisdom arrived at in one age, must command the 
respect of succeeding ones, and receive from them, 
the melioration which they can contribute. We 
understand nothing of what is called the perfecti- 
bility of human nature ; but we understand this, 
that if human nature can be made to know wherein 
its greatest good consists, it may be presumed, that 
this good will be sought and obtained. Man was 
created on this principle, he acts on this principle, 
although he is seen, so frequently, to make the 
most deplorable and distressing mistakes. If it be 
not admitted that mankind will always strive to ob- 
tain whatsoever seems to them good, and strive to 
avoid whatsoever seems to them evil, then moral 
teaching is in vain. If this principle be admitted, 
the sole inquiry is, what is good, and what is evil. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 133 

214. Infancy. Every human being comes into 
the world with physical and intellectual qualities, 
propensities, and aptitudes, which distinguish him 
as much from all other beings, as he differs from 
them in figure and appearance. As society is a con- 
sequence of the Creator's will, as the proper divi- 
sions of labor are a necessary consequence of soci- 
ety, it is not irrational to suppose, that individuals 
are born with adaptation to labor in some depart- 
ments, and not in others. In the early stages of 
life, these qualities are sometimes developed, wheth- 
er they happen to be understood or not. But al- 
most immediately after gaining some hold on life, 
all human beings become subject to the incidents 
which tend to strengthen original qualities, or to 
obscure or stop their progress ; and even to suppress 
them, and engraft on the original stock those which 
are entirely different. . It would be unjust to make 
infancy responsible for the evils and errors which 
arise in this manner ; but, certainly, those who 
have the guidance of infancy are responsible, and 
will be held to be so. Children have a right to 
complain, and society has a right to complain, if 
duties to children be neglected ; and if the belief 
spoken of, in preceding pages, be well founded, 
there is another, and inevitable accountability of a 
far more serious character. 

215. Youth. This is the time when accountability 
begins, in all the relations which were placed in the 
divisions of duties. If it be asked at what age this 
is to be fixed, we answer, that the good sense of 
judicial law recognizes, that a child may be a wit- 
ness in solemn judicial proceedings, when inquiries, 
addressed to him are so answered as to make it cer- 
tain, that he understands the nature and the obli- 
gation of an Oath. This may be at the age of 10 
or 12 years. But the perception of right and wrong, 
and the sense of duty, begin at an earlier age. 
There certainly are children of an early age, who 
have a very clear sense of moral propriety ; and 
very many who can discern and reason on right 
and wrong, and arrive at a very sound judgment. 









134 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

We shall presume that all into whose hands this 
volume may fall, will be fully capable of compre- 
hending its purpose, and of judging of its fitness to 
be useful to them. Young persons think that they 
can see for themselves ; and that they need not to 
be told what others have seen. But let this be re- 
duced to common sense. Suppose a person to be 
under the necessity of going from the place in which 
he has lived, and which is familiar to him, to a far 
distant place. Let it be supposed that the road he 
must travel is crossed by many roads, and that he 
is frequently to find himself at points where several 
roads are seen, either one of which, so far as he 
can discern, may be the right one. Will it be of 
use to him to have been told, before he departs $ 
which of these many roads to take ? Will it help 
him onward to his destination, when he is bewil- 
dered and unable to decide for himself, to find some 
one who can assure him of the right course ? Life 
is a journey. Every step taken in it, brings us to 
something new; something unexpected; and per- 
haps entirely different from that which was looked 
for. Those who have gone through it before us, 
have left us their instructions in what manner it is 
to be undertaken and accomplished. They tell of 
their own troubles and difficulties ; they warn us 
how to avoid the like in our own journey. Which 
is wisest, to listen to them, and weigh the worth of 
their warning, or to push on heedlessly, and take 
the consequences ? 

216. Health. It may be supposed that most chil- 
dren of six or eight years of age, can form some 
opinion of the value of health. Most of them have 
suffered, more or less, by that time. They are now 
old enough to consider the purposes for which life 
has been given* to them. They then feel that the 
purpose is to be pleased, and gratified ; to want, 
and to have ; and that restraint is disagreeable. 
But let them remember that life is a whole ; that 
though all of them will not, yet some of them will 
attain to its longest duration, and that it is wholly 
uncertain to whom that lot will fall. Long life may 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 135 

depend, and often does depend, on what children 
do, or omit, at an early age. Among the first grat- 
ifications which are looked for at this period, is the 
indulgence of the appetite for food. Here comes in 
a rigid law of the Creator. It cannot be broken 
without consequent suffering, nor repeatedly broken 
without impairing, and perhaps destroying/the ma- 
terial frame which has been shown to be so fearful- 
ly and wonderfully made. To require of that deli- 
cate machinery on which the action of life depends, 
a labor which it is not qualified to do, and which it 
cannot do ; to force it to do that which is offensive 
to it ; and to make this requisition habitually, is a 
sin against natural law. Its punishments are well 
known. The restless sleep, the heavy head, the 
many sensations of uneasiness, the positive pain, the 
disgusting remedies, are the punishments which fol- 
low. They are not all. Nature loses its charms; 
companions their interest, duties become irksome ; 
the mind hates its labor, penalties are incurred. Pa- 
rents, or teachers, are regarded with displeasure. 
These are the fruits of momentary gratification of 
this appetite. It is a law of Nature that food shall 
be grateful. It is required to supply the daily waste, 
to continue life. If there were not a craving want, 
food would be taken as a mere necessary duty. It 
is kindly made to be a pleasure, and, like every 
other pleasure, it is to be used and not abused. 
Thus, by ignorant or wilful pursuit of pleasure, a 
law is violated which brings with its just punish- 
ment, not only the loss of the like pleasure for a 
time to come, but also pain and suffering from in- 
dispensable remedies. When children are sick, 
they are subjects of tenderness and pity ; but, in 
most instances, they rather deserve to be punished; 
for they have broken a law wilfully, since they 
have disregarded their own experience. As to kinds 
of food, nature is not unreasonably nice about this. 
That which it complains of is quantity.* 

* However descending from the dignity of our subject it may be, we, 
venture to speak against a kind of food which is one of the real causes of 
sickness, and of inflammatory diseases, impure skin, and corrupted blood, 



136 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

217. Cleanliness. This is not a mere matter of 
decency. It is one of the positive commands arising 
from the constituted order of things. Be it remem- 
bered that every thing that lives, vegetable or ani- 
mal, is wasting while life continues. And that all 
which is sent forth through the millions of open- 
ings, by the skin, has run its round and is lifeless, 
and that more than half of all the food taken comes 
forth in this manner. If perspiration sensible and 
insensible, be permitted to rest on the skin, and 
stop the way of that which is coming, nature is 
offended, and will show that she is so. Such neg- 
lect is one of the causes of disease. This fact was 
probably well known to eastern nations, since it 
was part of their religious duty to cleanse the )kin. 
These nations were ignorant of the modern comfort 
of wearing a garment next the skin which can be 
frequently changed. The absence of this comfort 
was one of the causes of dreadful diseases, which 
are now unknown among Christian nations. There 
are classes of laborers and mechanics, whose health 
would be preserved, and their lives prolonged, if 
they knew how much depended on periodical cleans- 
ing. It may be said that there is a connexion be- 



and which is the unknown root of many an evil: — that is, the free use of 
gravies, fat and greasy substances, which belong rather to certain manu- 
factories than to the human stomach. The state of the blood, which 
" mainly depends on the kind of food, is believed to be the true cause of 
disease. The use of such food is the cause of that very common incon- 
venience called the heart-burn. If adults choose indu'ge in such food, 
they are old enough to bear the consequences, as they can ; but to chil- 
dren such food should be prohibited. It can be proved by the laws of 
nature, that such substances cannot be taken habitually with impunity. 
Even those whose bodily action occasions a waste which fits the stomach 
to take almost anything that offers, come at length to severe sufferings 
from this cause. The true way to test the worth of the gratification de- 
rived from food is, to ask the reasonable question, which will be seen to 
apply to so many other cases, In what way shall I obtain the greatest 
good? — Will it be by giving way to my present inclination, or resisting 
it? Shall I have a momentary pleasure and a lasting pain ? Shall I not 
esteem myself enough for my forbearance, to compensate me abundantly 
for the loss of this seeming good ? But there is a still more imposing 
question. Am I not commanded in the law of the Deity, to do good 
and not evil to myself? and if I know that what 1 am desirous of doing, 
is evil, do I not break his law in taking that evil on myself? 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 137 

tween cleanliness and moral feeling. Perhaps it 
may be going too far to say, that those who habitu- 
ally disregard cleanliness and prefer to be dirty, 
have no moral perception ; but it may be truly said, 
that those who are morally sensitive, are the more 
so from respecting this virtue. There is a close 
affinity between moral depravity, and physical de- 
gradation. The vicious poor, are always shockingly 
filthy. The depraved rich are visited by worse 
penalties. They may have clean garments ; but 
what can wash away the impurities which vice has 
made part of themselves. There are few such 
cases in this country ; but many in some other 
countries. History abounds with them. That of 
Henry VIII. of England is well known to many. It 
is not for one's self only, that the virtue of cleanli- 
ness commends itself. Every one comes within the 
observation of others. However uncleanly one may 
be himself, he is not the less offended at the like 
neglect in those whom he observes. Now it is eve- 
ry one's duty to himself to recommend himself to 
others, so far as he innocently and reasonably can, 
and to obtain their respect. Clean and costly gar- 
ments may fall very short of doing this, if it be seen 
that they are a covering for the neglect of this im- 
portant law. If there be a lovely object to the hu- 
man eye, it is a clean, clear-faced, healthy, inno- 
cent, neatly clad, happy child. There are few 
children who may not, if they will, be neatly dressed, 
for this does not depend on that of which the dress is 
made. There are fewer who may not have a clean 
skin and healthy look, if they are properly fed, and 
sleep in pure air : There are none who may not have a 
clean skin, for we speak to those who are old enough 
to judge for themselves. And let it be added, for 
their inducement, that in obeying the command to 
be clean, they are performing a moral duty ; in 
neglecting it, they are inflicting an evil on them- 
selves in two ways. 1. In diminishing their own 
comfort: 2. In losing the esteem of others. * 

* We again venture to speak of a subject at the risk of being thought 
to notice trifles. We not only think the matter now to be noticed not a 




138 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

218. Air. Among the generally unknown causes 
of loss of health is the respiration of impure air. In 
a former section some notice has been taken of the 
qualities of air. The number of cubic inches which 
must visit the lungs in a measured time to continue 
the blood in a healthy action, has been already 
shown. The congregation of many persons in one 
apartment, especially when artificial light, in great 
quantity, is permitted, is a cause of more maladies 
than is commonly supposed. Three causes, in such 
case, combine to destroy the fitness of the air for 
respiration. The animal heat of the assembly, the 
lights, and the breathing of the same air again and 
again. There must be such assemblies. The rem- 
edy is proper ventilation. The smoke of lamps has 
frequently occasioned death. No lamp is properly 
trimmed if it emit any thing more than a pure bright 
flame. It is a common practice to keep sleeping 
apartments shut up. If there be several persons in 
a small room which has been shut up for several 
hours, it would be shocking to know, how often 
they must breathe again and again the same air, 
and how unfit it is to be breathed after it has once 
visited the lungs. Add to this the impuritv of the 

trifle , but one of serious importance. The Americans are remarkable 
for neglecting the teeth. Paley says that * God did not make the teeth 
to ache.' It is the most unpardonable neglect that makes them ache. 
The teeth were given to us for many highly necessary purposes. They are 
indispensable in preparing food for the stomach ; equally so in speech. 
They may be highly ornamental, or otherwise. They suffer as much as 
the skin by neglect ; and they make known their complaints, when neg- 
lected, in a manner which cannot be disregarded. Notwithstanding these 
things are so, probably not one child in some hundreds, in the United 
States, knows that there is such a thing as a brush for the teeth. What- 
soever the Creator has given, he has required of us to use according to 
his laws, and, consequently, to preserve what he has given to be used. 
This is not the less true of the teeth, than it is of the eyes, the muscles, or 
the digestive power. Males and females are frequently met with, whose 
intelligent and pleasing expression of countenance prepossesses us in their 
favor, but the minute they go to speak, and laugh, the charm vanishes, 
and a sensation of disappointment is felt at the disclosure which they 
make. This is the consequence of ignorance or neglect, for which pa- 
rents are directly chargeable. Ignorance is not an excuse for the viola- 
tion of any plain law of nature. Voluntary neglect aggravates the 
wrong. If a child has once learned the comfort of cleanliness in this re- 
spect, he will duly value it, and never give it up. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK, 139 

air, which is continually in contact with the furni- 
ture prepared and constantly used for sleeping, in 
an unaired apartment. It is not mere nicety, or 
fastidious delicacy, which requires that the pure air 
should be admitted where the human lungs are in 
action, but it is a law as old as the creation of man,' 
and cannot be disregarded. A skilful observer 
might select among mauy, from the appearance of 
the countenance, those who have just left an apart- 
ment in which they have been respiring for hours, 
a spoiled atmosphere. No doubt that this cause 
long continued, so affects the whole mass of blood 
as to bring on many diseases. If pure air be pecu- 
liarly necessary to any class of persons, it is so to 
children. It is believed that a more useful sugges- 
tion could not be made on the subject of health, to 
the whole community, than to invite them to re- 
spect this law of nature, that there cannot be per- 
fect health where the air is impure ; and that this 
applies, especially, to apartments appropriated to 
sleep. Visiting friends are often put into sleeping 
apartments, which have not been opened for days 
and weeks : this is far enough from kind treatment, 
however innocently it be done.* 

219. Exercise. This is almost too common a sub- 
ject to be noticed. Youth of the male sex, usually 
have exercise enough, from the sports, and prompt- 
ings to action, which belong to their years. Fe- 
males are great sufferers from neglect of muscular 
action. This is the true cause, why American wo- 
men, are so defective in form, and so feeble, in 
constitution, as they are said to be by those, who 
compare them with females of some other nations. 
A slow walk of a mile or two, does not deserve the 
name of exercise. Action should be varied, and 
every muscle brought to its proper use. Females 
are required to sit too long at their studies. Of 

* One of the most common, and most annoying discomforts in our 
country is, the bad state of the sleeping apartments in which travellers 
are obliged to attempt to repose. This is occasioned, not so much by 
the sort of bed which is used, as by the ignorance, that pure air is essen- 
tial to comfort and to health. 

14 



140 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

what consequence is it to store a young lady's mind 
with classical learning 1 , if her physical frame must 
be sacrificed to this learning ? A weak, round 
shouldered, puny, complaining invalid, (which some 
women seem to like to be thought) makes a very 
poor head of a family, wife, or mother. The kinds 
of exercise which young females should take, must 
be known from those persons, who can speak pro- 
fessionally. But so much as this any one may as- 
sume to say : Action is as certainly demanded by 
natural law, for the whole system, as oxygen is 
required by the blood. The utility of action is ap- 
parent from recurring to the truths, already stated, 
on the mechanism, and economy of the human 
frame. Exercise aids the blood in performing its 
circuit ; it enables the skin to perform its functions ; 
it promotes the secretions necessary to healthy di- 
gestion ; it makes food necessary and grateful ; it 
promotes cheerfulness; it cures restlessness; it 
makes sedentary occupation agreeable ; it makes, 
and preserves, beauty; and, finally, it is commanded 
by a Law Giver, who cannot be disobeyed with 
impunity. 

220. Personal Decoration. This is a subject which 
engrosses a large share of female thought and time; 
and no small part of their means of expenditure. 
There are not a few females who would be shocked 
at knowing, how many immoralities they are guilty 
of, on the single subject of Dress. The human 
figure, is in itself, beautiful. But it is capable of 
being adorned, and made still more beautiful, because 
the sentiment of delicacy, which arises in every 
cultivated mind, demands that some drapery should 
be thrown over it. If our race were always in a 
temperature of 98 degrees, (which is the common 
temperature of healthy blood) so that external cov- 

(ering would be useless, still it would be duty, and 
pleasure, to be dressed. Physically, dress is indis- 
pensable to exclude cold, and preserve the healthy 
temperature of the body. Rationally, dress should 
be such as to permit, and conform to, the naturally 
graceful action of the human frame. Tastefully, it 



MORAL CLASS BOO-K. 141 

should be such as conforms to the feeling which 
one has, in looking on the light fleecy clouds, that 
veil the moon in her brightness. Fashionably, it 
must be such, as to violate all laws of physics, reason, 
and taste. According to fashion, the person must 
be indecently exposed ; it must be laced and girdled, 
at several points, so closely, as to prevent the cir- 
culation of the blood, and impede, consequently, 
the action of the heart and lungs ; and of the limbs. 
The blood, driven from its natural channels, takes 
refuge where it can. It throbs in the head, swells 
the eye balls, stagnates in the extremities ; and be- 
ing denied its necessary access to the lungs, to be 
reinvigorated by the air, it becomes impure, and 
unfit for its natural purposes ; it discolors the skin, 
and generates disease. 

221. Is it conceivable that the laws of the Crea- 
tor should be thus contemned by rational beings ! 
By such beings they are not. It is ignorance that 
does this complicated mischief. No young female 
would knowingly destroy her health ; lay the foun- 
dation for lasting maladies ; and disqualify her- 
self to perform the dignified, and interesting, du- 
ties which await her. But, what is to be said of 
mothers, who look on these follies with complacency ; 
and even give the example to their children ? For 
them there is no excuse but ignorance, the prolific 
parent of human trouble. 

For what purpose did the Creator form the hu- 
man foot, and concentrate therein blood-vessels, 
and nerves, which hold an intimate connexion with 
the great action of life ? was it to be reformed by 
painful efforts, so as to make it almost useless ; and 
the seat of continual anguish, whenever it is em- 
ployed for motion ? * Surely not. The power of 
rapid, easy, pleasurable locomotion, is one of the 
kindest gifts of the Creator. Observe those who 

* The experiment of trying to make a small foot, by wearing a tight 
shoe, has never failed to make an ugly, and a painful one. What a light 
vanity is this! What sensible female ever supposed, that the size of her 
foot, was to affect her well being in the opinion of herself or of any sen- 
sible person? 



142 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

have wholly, or even partially lost, the power of 
moving-, at will, from place to place. What a 
mournful privation do they experience. The fash- 
ions of the present day as to dress, have no redeem- 
ing quality, not even this, that dress is a covering. 
First; female dress, of this day, has no preten- 
sions to grace and beauty. If it be asked, whether 
there be a standard of beauty for female decoration, 
it may be confidently answered ; there is ; one, that 
taste and genius, have made imperishable. The 
form of woman was never so beautifully adorned, 
as in the best days of Greece. The enduring mar- 
ble of artists will tell, through ages to come, in 
what drapery woman renders due homage to na- 
ture and to taste. 

Secondly ; It is neither convenient nor comforta- 
ble. If one knew nothing, from experience, of the 
distresses arising from tight ligatures around the 
region of the heart, the extremities, and elsewhere, 
it would be regarded as a cruel punishment, to bind 
up a female, as most of them are now made up, 
daily ; and, especially, when they desire to please 
the eye, the most. 

222. Be it remembered, as a stain on the morality 
of the present day, that the law of fashion has at- 
tempted to repeal the laws of nature. That the 
natural beauty of the human figure is deformed, 
and disgraced, so that it cannot be known, (through 
the absurd drapery which it has assumed,) to be 
human. This may be put into the account of folly. 
But, be it also remembered, as a reproach to this 
age, that the tyranny of fashion has disfigured the 
female frame; has disqualified it to perform the du- 
ties for which it was created ; has made it, wilfully, 
the seat of pain, suffering, disease, and of premature 
death, which deserves hardly a less harsh name, 
than intentional self-destruction. 

It is said, that all the females who disregard the 
law of nature, and obey that of fashion, from be- 
tween the ages of twelve and twenty, are more or 
less deformed ; and that half of all the young fe- 
males of the present day come within this descrip- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 143 

tion. Mothers are bound, by every principle of 
duty, to be wiser on this subject. The most common 
indication of growing deformity, is the unnatural 
projection of one or other of the shoulder-blades, 
and, in general, of the right one. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Duties to One's-self. 

223. Time, Every person connects himself in his 
usual thoughts of himself, with all the lapse of time 
in which he can remember, and with all the lapse 
of time through which he expects to live. This he 
calls his life. He does not live in time that is past, 
nor in time that is to come. He actually lives only in 
the present moment. Yet, he feels that he lives in 
the past, and will live in the time to come, because 
the past, the present, and the future, are so con- 
nected, that he cannot separate them. Man seems 
to rise and stand upon the surface of a rapid stream. 
It is incessantly passing from under his feet ; he 
stands not on that which is to come, nor on that 
which came, and is gone. But his consciousness 
extends while his standing continues to all that will 
come, and to all that is past. His effort is to keep 
his standing, and to avoid as long as he can, the ac- 
cidents and changes, which will sink him below the 
surface. It is, then, a law prescribed to us, from 
which no one can free himself, that he shall suffer 
in the passing moment for the wrongs done in time 
gone by, and for the evils of which he dreads the 
approach. As this is certainly so, how little does 
he regard the operation of inflexible law, who pro- 
vides for himself a load of self-reproach, for any 
gratification which he can procure, by error or by 
crime. 

224. Let us lay out of the case those errors and 
crimes which have been alluded to, and consider 
negligencies and follies. We have shown that man 

14* 



144 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

was meant for action. His actions were intended 
to enable him to secure good to himself. Good to 
himself depends on the performance of his duties to 
himself. Duty to himself requires that he should 
improve his faculties, and should avail himself of 
all the opportunities given to him for that purpose. 
The hours, then, which are permitted to slide by 
without any improvement, are lost. In so losing 
them he breaks the law of the Creator. Apply this 
to the vocations in which one is to cultivate his 
mind in any business, mechanical, scientific, or 
learned. When one sees himself surpassed by 
others, and left far in the rear ; when he is called 
on to measure himself against another ; and when 
he sees that comparisons are made between him 
and others, greatly to his disadvantage, he may 
feel, and most men do feel, that they are thus de- 
preciated, because the precious time which was al- 
lotted to improvement has been passed in trifling 
amusements, or in idle pursuits. To some minds 
the suffering from such causes is extremely acute. 
They have no one to blame but themselves. The 
bitter remembrance which they have of the past, 
as connected with the present, and the future, is 
the punishment for breaking a positive law. They 
may console themselves, perhaps, with the firm 
resolution that they will repair the wrong done in the 
past time, by diligence in the time to come ; but 
they find that time brings with it its own demands. 
They are fortunate indeed, if they can do, in one 
space, that which belongs to it, and that also that 
which belonged to another, and in another season 
of life. 

225. One cannot innocently say his time is his 
own, and that he may dispose of it as he pleases. 
His time is his life. It is given to him in trust. Like 
other trustees he will be held to an account, in 
which there is no possibility of concealment, and 
where nothing will depend on proof. It may be 
supposed that it will be said to him : There was 
confided to your use a term of time. You knew, or 
could know, the laws prescribed to you, in perform- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 145 

ing your trust. Are you come from that trust to 
render an account of it, burthened with reproach 
from your own conscience, and with marks of guilt, 
which you cannot hide ? or, are you come, without 
any advancement in the knowledge of your duties, 
and with no other account than that your days 
rolled by in childish pursuits, or idle amusement, 
no wiser when you were severed from the world, 
than when you left the cradle of infancy ? or, are 
you come with the exalted acquirements which you 
might have, and with that innocence and purity 
which you would have, if you had read the laws of 
the created world ; and those which have been re- 
vealed, and placed before your eyes ? Where have 
you read in these laws, that /no duties to yourself, 
and to your associates, nor to the Lawgiver, were 
enjoined upon you ? Have you not been told by 
every breath you drew, by every movement of your 
frame, by every thought of your immortal mind, by 
every just pleasure, that you have had, by every 
pang that you have suffered, and by ail that you 
have been made capable of perceiving, and learning, 
that there were laws prescribed to you in your 
trust, and that an account of your stewardship 
would be exacted, from a judge who cannot be de- 
ceived ? 

22Q. Self-love. It is an invariable law of Nature 
that every human being shall do those acts which 
he thinks will secure good to him, and that he shall 
avoid those acts which will occasion evil to him. 
Why then should not every one do any and every 
act in his power, by which his own will may be 
gratified, and avoid doing any and every act which 
is disagreeable to him ? The only answer that can 
be given to this question is this, that man is a free 
agent, entrusted with the power, and charged with 
the duty, of ascertaining for himself, what is good 
and what is evil ; and that this power and duty ex- 
tend to those with whom he dwells in society, and 
also to his Creator. 

227. Children always conform to the natural im- 
pulse of self-love, until they learn from the disci- 



146 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

pline which is applied to them, that they cannot 
have their own will without subjecting themselves 
to a suffering, the dread of which controls the nat- 
ural impulse. They learn, after a time, that the 
greater good lies in giving up what they will to do, 
and doing what is required of them, rather than to 
meet the certain consequences. The whole science 
of morals will be found in the principles contained 
in the truth above stated. 

228. Self-love is just as strong throughout life as 
it is in childhood. It is that quality of our nature 
to which all excellence may be referred ; but it is also 
that to which all un worthiness may be referred. As 
the dread of punishment, or an unwillingness to dis- 
please those whose kindness a child desires, will 
restrain him, or put him into action ; so in more 
advanced life, the dread of suffering a certain or 
probable evil, and the certainty of losing the good 
will of others, will restrain, or impel to act. With 
those whose minds have been properly disciplined, 
and who have learned to comprehend their relation to 
the Creator, there is a far higher motive, which is 
founded in a submission to the Creator's laws. As 
one goes on in life, he may or may not acquire more 
and more clear and just perceptions, of what will 
be the greatest good to himself, and how he can ob- 
tain it. It is a self-evident proposition, that if a 
person could certainly know what it would be best 
for him to do, or not to do, in relation to all things 
and persons, and under all circumstances, he would 
best obey the impulse of self-love, and most exactly 
conform to the laws prescribed for his good, if he 
should act according to this knowledge. 

229. It cannot be too often impressed upon the 
youthful mind, that life is to be taken as a whole. For, 
if this extended view be not taken, it must frequent- 
ly happen, that it will seem right, in certain cir- 
cumstances, and when the view is limited to these 
circumstances, that certain acts may be done, or 
avoided as the greatest good. Yet, if the conse- 
quences could be foreseen, they would disclose, that 
this seeming good would turn out to be a positive 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 147 

evil. It often seems good to the young to avoid the 
performance of labors which are assigned to them, 
and to spend, in amusement, the time which should 
be devoted to fit thern for duties, which will be 
incident to future condition. This misapprehension 
of good, is to be lamented ; but with some, this is 
not all. Their own self-love prompts them to en- 
gage in a course of folly, so that not only do they 
fail to obtain that which is real good, but they find, 
under the mask of pleasure, that which proves to 
them to be the most grievous suffering. 

230. The same truth runs, in an endless variety 
of forms, into manhood, and through all the stages 
of life. Men are impelled by self-love not only to 
provide for the craving wants of their nature, but to 
seek pleasure, riches, power, distinction, and luxu- 
ries. These propensities are given for wise and 
beneficent purposes. It is the misapplication of 
thern, as seen in the world, which constitutes hu- 
man misery. He is called brave and honorable who 
defends himself, even at the risk of life, against 
those who would do to him that injustice, and 
wrong, which would make the gift of life of no 
value. But the brave, who invade the rights of 
others, and subject them, by violence, to losses and 
to sufferings, without cause, misapply this principle 
of action. To get riches by honest industry or the 
reasonable exercise of one's talents, is a commend- 
able use of self-love. To get riches, by unfair and 
dishonest means, to hoard them up, and to brood 
over them in secret, is a pitiful misuse of this com- 
mendable impulse. To have power, over one's 
fellow-men, and to use it faithfully, and for their 
benefit, is a relation which one may honestly and 
commendably desire, as a reasonable exercise of 
self-love. To seek such power by deceitful repre- 
sentations, and to obtain it by violence and fraud, 
and to use it for purposes of supposed self-benefit, 
and to the injury and oppression of others, is 
another form of self-love. But there are few, if 
any cases, in the history of mankind, in which self- 
love has appeared, in the latter ibrm, without. 



148 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

eventually, overwhelming the agent with disap- 
pointment and sorrow. It is true, that for a time, 
such an one may seem to flourish in his schemes, 
and command the applauses of those who look up 
to him in his, apparently, fortunate elevation. But 
in the very nature of things, if his heart could be 
sounded, there is no one whom he looks down up- 
on, who is not more at ease than himself. His day 
of humiliation may be at hand, in the course of 
events which he cannot control ; and, if not, he 
learns, when it is too late to correct his error, that 
he has misapplied the impulse of self-love. This 
misapplication is to be seen in many cases of daily 
occurrence, and in things of little, as well as in 
those of comparatively great importance. The prin- 
ciple is every where the same. 

231. It may be answered, perhaps, that all this 
is incident to human nature. There is no help, it 
is said, for these evils. Every boy who has learned 
Latin, repeats the maxim, humanum est errare, (it is 
human to err.) A more mischievous maxim was 
never invented. If men understood, as most cer- 
tainly they may do, that they need not err, and 
that it is best for them they should not, they would 
rather adopt as a maxim that none but the wilfully 
ignorant, and the wilfully foolish, err. Such a state 
of things is yet afar off. It may seem to be foolish 
indeed, to assert that any society should ever come 
to be so well informed as to make a proper use of 
self-love. Let us not despair. Society may improve 
very slowly ; yet, if every one does even the little 
that he can, in showing, by precept and example, 
what things a rational and accountable being should 
desire, and what he should avoid and reject, cer- 
tainly, the time may come when self-love will never 
be so misapplied, as to be necessarily followed by 
penitence and sorrow. 

232. Will it be denied, that there is a certain best 
course of action for every human being, in every 
possible condition in which he may find himself ? 
Or, that no small proportion of human suffering 
arises from not having discerned that it was best, 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 149 

in past circumstances, to have acted differently, or 
not to have acted at all ? Or, that whether one 
did or did not act, in the supposed case, that his 
motive was to secure to himself the greatest good 
of which that case was supposed to allow ? If 
these things cannot be denied, then the great end 
of life is so to regulate self-love as that it may se- 
cure the greatest good. Let us suppose that every 
person in society knew what it would be best for 
him to do or not to do, so that his physical, in- 
tellectual, and moral condition, should be as good 
as he could make it. His self-love would never be 
directed to any end which would impair his bodily 
powers, or keep his mind in ignorance, or misin- 
formed, or make him a subject of reproach, or con- 
tempt, in hisowm view, or in that of others. This, 
it will be said, is an impossible state of things. So 
it was said that it would be impossible to root out 
the use of ardent spirits. This great change is not 
wholly accomplished, but does any one doubt that 
great advance has been made towards its entire 
abolition ? Let us go on, then, in the work of im- 
provement. Let every one try to show the proper 
uses of self-love. The day may come when every 
one will admit, that all the sufferings which may 
visit the human family, are of their own making, 
those only excepted which arise from the general 
laws of the Creator. As to those, they may be 
greatly mitigated by intelligent moral agency. 
When these come, they can and will be endured 
with piety and resignation, if the sufferer can con- 
sole himself with the certainty, that he has done 
no wrong thing, nor neglected any proper one, to 
which the cause of his sufferings may be referred. 



150 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

Duties to One's-selfj continued. 

(labor, habit.) 

233. Labor. It is commonly considered that la- 
bor is the curse declared to mankind, as a conse- 
quence of the transgression of the first man. It is 
foreign to our purpose to enter into any discussion, 
as to the true meaning of this historical, or allego- 
rical account ; the Christian revelation may not be 
dependent on a literal understanding of it. How- 
ever this may be regarded, under the influence of 
further reasonable research, we must take man as 
he is ; and so considering him, labor is not an evil, 
but a pleasure. Is it a curse to man, as he now is, 
to be enabled by labor, to comprehend the existence 
of the Deity, and the beauty and utility of his 
works ? to adorn the earth and bring its productive 
power into action ? to apply the material substances 
of the earth to reasonable use, convenience, and 
ornament ? to expand and improve the human 
mind ? to cultivate and strengthen the moral power? 
Certainly these are the effects of labor, and labor 
so applied constitutes man's highest happiness. 

234. There are two kinds of labor : 1. Mere bod- 
ily labor ; 2. Labor of the mind. These two are 
sometimes necessarily combined. The mind, and 
the body, demand some sort of employment. No 
one whose mind is free from natural defect can pre- 
vent its action. It will think of something, good or 
evil, profitable or foolish. Every one who attends 
to the operations of his own mind must be con- 
vinced that this is so. The body and limbs cannot 
be kept in any one position for any considerable 
space of time, unless they have been in action, and 
demand repose. If it were painful to us to direct 
the action of the mind to useful labor ; and if it 
were distressing or inconvenient to us to exercise our 
muscles, for purposes which we believe to be proper, 
then it might be that labor is a curse. But many, nay 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 151 

all, who require of the mind to perform its duties to 
any useful purpose, and especially those who have 
disciplined the mind to an accustomed service, find 
that the absence of employment is an affliction. 
This cannot be otherwise, unless man's relation to 
the universe has been entirely misunderstood. 

235. As to bodily action, it is seen that children 
in their sports go through a series of exertions, 
often exceedingly violent too, from mere pleasure. 
Men frequently exercise the body much more se- 
verely in matters of amusement, than they have any 
occasion to do in necessary labor. This action 
seems to be a dictate of nature. In many cases of 
indisposition, bodily motion is the prescribed reme- 
dy, and is commonly a successful one. There are 
sound reasons why this should be so. We have 
noticed in a former section, the universal action of 
the material system to which man belongs ; and 
the continual waste and demand for supply. Ex- 
cepting only in the involuntary movements in man's 
structure which are not confided to his care, he is 
required to aid nature in her operations. If he 
would put himself in the best condition to receive, 
and derive pleasure from his daily food, he must 
keep himself in action. Those who have the least 
pleasure in using, what was given to be used, as 
the means of pleasure to the senses, are those who 
keep the body inactive. This is true of those who 
labor with the mind only ; more strikingly true of 
those whom affluence excuses from labor, of body 
and mind. They seek happiness in indolence, and 
in luxury. They find it not, because they violate a 
law of nature. No product of the vineyard, the 
field, or the sea, however aided by inventive art, 
will furnish a welcome repast to one who sits in 
listless idleness, on a downy cushion, from breakfast 
time, till dinner. The day laborer who sits down 
to his coarse meal, has a pleasure to which the lux- 
urious idler is a stranger. The one receives a 
rational benefit from the kind and just bounty of 
nature ; the other seeks it where nature has de- 
creed that it shall not be found. 

15 



152 MORAL CLASS BOOK, 

236. The labor of muscular action Is not only in 
itself a pleasure, but it is the means prescribed to 
us for the acquirement of subsistence ; for the grad- 
ual improvement of society ; for applying natural 
and artificial products to our comforts, to our con- 
venience, and to reasonable luxuries. Nor only so: 
this is the ground work of all the beautiful and imi- 
tative arts ; of the discovery and application of the 
chemical power of matter ; of the wonderful con- 
trivances by which man securely moves on the 
face of the ocean ; by which he cultivates his ac- 
quaintance with the stars, and raises his thoughts 
to the Author of all being. Let us not then regard 
labor as a curse, but a blessing, and rank it among 
the many causes for thankfulness. It is obvious 
that muscular action would have been given to us 
In vain, if it were not directed by intelligence. 
There must then, be labor of the mind. This is no 
where said to be a curse. If there be anything for 
which men should be specially thankful, certainly 
it is that they are blessed with the power of mental 
exertion. This labor is, in itself, a source of hap- 
piness ; and in its fruits, has made, out of savage 
men, a rational and improving social being. The 
most restless and comfortless of all creatures is he, 
who has no occupation for his mind. If one would 
invent the most miserable condition for a human 
being, other than mere physical suffering of the 
most excruciating kind that can be without extin- 
guishing life, it would be, to deprive him of all em- 
ployment of body and of mind. 

237. Can there be a doubt, that in man's present 
condition, the ability to labor is his exalted privi- 
lege ? And is he not accountable for this privilege? 
Is not reason given to direct him in the use of it ? 
It is well known to those who have compared the 
condition of mankind in different ages, how much 
the labor of body and mind, has been able to ac- 
complish. Even within the last half century the 
most surprising changes for the better, have taken 
place, from the right use of this productive power. 
On this depends the condition of the human family. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 153 

From the joint labors of all who wish well to their 
fellow men, there will be obtained, eventually, the 
knowledge of the best manner of using the products 
of the earth ; the best mode of ruling men in their 
social relations, the just homage due to the Creator, 
and the true purpose for which human life has been 
given. 

238. To some descriptions of persons labor is irk- 
some. They are obliged, in their vocations, to use 
certain muscles, and those only. They repeat the 
same act throughout the day. Their labor becomes 
tedious, because it requires little or no action of the 
mind. To this numerous class we venture to offer 
a relief, which is within the easy reach of many of 
them. It is well known that the nature of habit is 
such that the hands will do, what thev have been 
accustomed to do, without any obvious attention, 
and the mind is left to do what it will. The mind 
might be employed, while the hands are busy, in 
pursuing some connected train of thought. Muscu- 
lar action, so far from being an interruption to the 
action of the mind, may be made to assist it. Per- 
sons who think intently are often seen to have some 
habitual movement. The relief suggested is, that 
sedentary laborers should provide themselves with 
subjects for reflection, and exact of their minds to 
attend to these subjects. By such simple means 
the memory may be strengthened, the stock of 
knowledge may be greatly increased, and the mind 
surprisingly invigorated. One might begin this ex- 
ercise by attempting to remember, with the utmost 
precision, every act done during the preceding day; 
and so go back from day to day. Better still would 
it be, if the purpose were to see wherein one 
had not done as well as he might, and as he may 
wish he had done. This exercise may be applied 
also, to the contemplation of subjects suggested by 
reading ; and this contemplation will raise ques- 
tions, which will lead to the examination of books. 
There may be hundreds of poets, philosophers, and 
moralists at the work benches in this country, who 
have no thought of themselves, that they are such. 



154 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

It is in the power of any person who can read and 
understand the English language, to strengthen his 
memory, give himself an interesting employment, and 
furnish himself with a rich fund of the. truest phi- 
losophy, in this manner. He may commit to mem- 
ory six lines, each successive day, of Pope's Essay 
on Man ; and on each day repeat all he had learned 
on preceding days. On the 218th day he would 
be able to repeat the whole essay. This might be 
done without losing one moment of time, and with- 
out making the slightest error in one's work. When 
accomplished, it would be an intellectual treasure 
for which any man might be thankful, and of which 
he might be justly proud. The first efforts may be 
discouraging, but perseverance will insure success. 
Every one who is accustomed to thinking can at- 
test, that most new subjects, are, at first, confused 
and undefined ; but they gradually disclose them- 
selves, and fall into shape and order, just as mate- 
rial substances, used on the work bench, and the 
anvil, take that form, smoothness, and polish, by 
successive operations, which the workman requires. 
239. Habit. This quality of our nature has en- 
gaged the attention of many philosophic minds. It 
has been considered an ultimate fact, as it is called, 
that is, one of those qualities, which, like respira- 
tion, digestion, and many others, are found to exist; 
and beyond which fact no investigation can be 
made. Its laws, rather than its nature, have been 
the subject of remark. It may be, that habit is to 
be referred to the law of action, which appears to 
pervade all material and intellectual being. Life is 
divided into two principal parts, alternate sleeping 
and waking. Each successive day is a sort of new 
existence, in which many of the acts of the preced- 
ing day must be repeated, because nature demands 
the repetition of them. Also, almost every one is 
engaged in some vocation, on which he relies, to 
supply his wants, and gratify his wishes ; and most 
persons have in view certain pleasures, which are 
innocent, or otherwise. Habit arises from this de- 
mand for action, and from the manner in which this 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 155 

demand is supplied. Action relates to ourselves, to 
other persons, and to things around us which min- 
ister to our wants ; supplying its demands, associ- 
ates us with these persons and things. The want, 
whatever it may be, arises, and forthwith all things 
connected with satisfying it, force themselves into 
notice ; and these become a part of our very ex- 
istence. It is a well known fact, that the appetite 
for food, will associate itself, with a particular hour 
of the day, and with persons, places, and objects 
of gratification ; so that one becomes hungry rather 
according to the hour, than the natural want. 

240. It may perhaps be an ultimate fact, behind 
which one cannot go, that those acts are most easily 
and well done, which are oftenest done. One who 
uses a flail, an axe, a scythe, a sword, or a pen > 
can use either the better, the oftener it is used, until 
he arrives at a point of excellence at which his 
power of improvement stops. This may, perhaps, 
be accounted for by supposing, that, the first effort 
which the mind makes to direct muscular action, is 
the most difficult one. After repeated efforts the 
mind seems to understand, better and better, how 
to direct, and the muscles how to obey, till, at 
length, a very slight effort of the mind seems to be 
all that is required, and even an effort so inconsid- 
erable and rapid, as not to be the subject of no- 
tice. On this truth seems to depend the astonish- 
ing facility of action, to which (among many other 
instances) jugglers and musicians attain. This is 
called habit, which word is derived from a Latin 
word which signifies custom or use. There are 
customs, or habits, of the mind, as well as of the 
muscles. Persons who accustom themselves to ex- 
temporaneous speaking, acquire a surprising ease 
and readiness in the complicated action of conceiv- 
ing, uttering and expressing by sounds, by looks, 
and gestures, whatsoever they would impress upon 
an audience. The mind has its own habits also, 
in the quiet of contemplation, and in exercising its 
various powers. It has its own associations too, 
15* 



156 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

with external objects, of which many curious in- 
stances are stated in philosophical works. 

241. The moral deduction to be made from these 
general principles is this ; that there is a continual 
craving to do some act, to obtain some object ; or 
a continually recurring necessity to do some act to 
prevent an evil, or inconvenience. The frequency 
of this call to do something, whether it be for event- 
ual good or evil, leads to the practice, custom or 
habit of doing ; and in some cases, the impulse to 
act becomes so powerful that reason, self-respect, 
the laws of society, and even those of the Law- 
giver of the Universe, (if these are heeded,) pre- 
sent no sufficient barrier to the impulse. It is to 
this all-important truth, in the nature of man, that 
the attention of the young is earnestly invited. The 
capacity to create habits, is the consequence of 
the power given to us to promote our own welfare 
individually, socially, and as accountable beings. 
This capacity was designed to fasten us down to 
that course of action which will accomplish these 
ends of our existence. Like everything else, with 
which men are entrusted, it may be rightly and 
profitably used ; or may be misused, and perverted 
to certain ruin. Habit is the kindest friend, or 
cruel est foe to human welfare. When it assumes 
the latter character, it comes ever in the most de- 
lusive and seductive forms. It soon substitutes its 
own irresistible will, for that of its victim ; and 
triumphantly points to the gulf to which it bears 
him. The fly, caught in the spider's web, is a faint 
illustration of the power of habit. The fly knows, 
from the first moment, his destiny, and struggles 
to escape. The gambler, the drunkard, the felon, 
when and how do they learn, that they have been 
caught in the web of Habit ! 






MORAL CLASS BOOK. 157 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

DUTIES. 

Actions which are icrong as to One's-self, and which may be 

so as to others. 

(selfishness, intemperance, tobacco.) 

242. Selfishness. It is obviously a part of the 
Creator's design, in placing man as he is seen to be 
placed, relatively to the parts of the created system, 
and relatively to society, of which he is necessarily 
a member, that he should have wants, which he 
must supply. There are also desires, and aspira- 
tions, which arise from, and which are modified by, 
the peculiar condition of each individual. It is 
commendable, in every one, to provide for the sat- 
isfaction of his wants, and for the gratification of 
desires and aspirations, provided, all these be such 
as are proper, both as to himself, and all other per- 
sons, with whom he is associated. To desire pro- 
perty, conveniences, and even luxuries is reasona- 
ble. To desire to be esteemed for virtues, talents, 
and for efforts to promote the common welfare, is 
reasonable. But to desire whatsoever one can 
have, and to get it, hold it, and use it, for one's own 
exclusive benefit, and to let it be seen, that one has 
no other motive, is to care for one's self only ; this 
is selfishness, and is a striking defect in moral char- 
acter. Now, it is an unquestionable principle in 
human nature, (that is, the fact is so, and one can- 
not go behind the fact, and know why it is so,) that 
mankind respect all those motives and acts, which 
have for their object, the promotion of the common 
good ; or individual good, in particular cases. It is 
on this principle that mankind esteem those who 
disregard labor, property, and personal safety, 
when the motive is benefit to others. And on this 
principle mankind hold those in contempt, who show 
no sympathy for their fellow men, and who crave 
all, and hold and use all they can get, for their 
own exclusive gratification. Selfish men betray 



158 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

their dispositions, by the manner of craving, and 
of using. Blinded by this over-ruling passion, they 
are incapable of seeing objects as other men see 
them. That which seems to them to be pro- 
per to be done, does not seem so, to others. The 
selfish are liable to descend to divers acts of con- 
trivance and littleness, to accomplish their purposes. 
The excuses which charity finds for selfish persons, 
and the only ones that can be found, are, that they 
were either so constituted originally, and have had 
no moral instruction in early life, tending to correct 
their natural propensities ; or, that these propensi- 
ties have arisen out of the circumstances in which 
they have been placed ; and show that the purposes 
of life have been misunderstood. The evil which 
such persons encounter is, that they lose, or fail to 
acquire, the esteem and respect of their fellow men, 
which is, in itself, no small evil. 

243. Selfishness is not limited to any individuals 
or classes. It is seen among occupants of thrones, 
and among the inhabitants of the smallest villages. 
Neither is it limited to particular objects of desire. 
It may spend itself on money ; on anything that 
money will buy ; on distinctions which are ground- 
ed on talents, on office, or on the covetousness of 
admiration. It readily mingles itself with all wants 
and desires, which find a place in the human heart. 
Malice, jealousy, revenge, avarice, fraud, envy, 
slander, have their root in selfishness. All these, 
and many other impulses, or passions, which belong 
to human nature, are perversions of some good 
principle, imparted by the Creator. All vices are 
perversions of the principles of motive and action, 
in which the virtues are founded. Thus, it may 
be inferred how important it is, to fix the rules of 
right motives, and right conduct, in early life, that 
they maybe ready for use, whenever occasion calls 
for them. When any one assumes to declare the 
conduct of another to be selfish, charity demands 
that he should remember, how indistinct the partition 
line is between selfishness, and that conduct, which 
the good sense of mankind approves. He should, 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 159 

at least, desire to know motives, whatever the act 
may seem to be, before he ventures to condemn, or 
to approve. 

244. Intemperance. Temperance consists in observ- 
ing the law of moderation, in the performance of 
all those acts, which one should do, to promote his 
own welfare, or that of others. Intemperance is do- 
ing excessively, those acts which it is lawful, and 
right to do, to some extent. To show what Tem- 
perance is, would be to enumerate all the actions 
which one may properly do. It is, therefore, more 
to the purpose in view, to show what intemperance is. 

245. This word has attained a meaning more lim- 
ited than its proper one. It is applied, commonly, 
to persons who take, habitually, ardent spirits ; but 
it is equally applicable to all transgressions of the 
law of moderation. All acts which may be lawfully 
done, for one's own good, when carried to excess, 
are acts of intemperance ; and all such acts are 
sooner or later, followed by some sort of suffering, 
according to their nature and degree. Excessive 
labor of body or mind, are as much acts of intem- 
perance, as to make one's self dull, and stupid, by 
taking food ; or irrational and giddy by taking spir- 
it. But there is a wide difference in the degree of 
immorality in the kinds of excess. An intemperance 
in study, which brings untimely death, in some in- 
stances, is not condemned as an immoral transgres- 
sion, (though it certainly is such), for the motive 
which leads to this intemperance, is an honorable 
one. The loss of health and character, from abus- 
ing the privilege of taking nourishment, is univer- 
sally condemned, because the motive, and the acts 
done in obedience to its impulse, are irrational, and 
disgraceful. 

246. There are two kinds of intemperance against 
which the young should be warned. The one is 
drinking, not for nourishment, but for pleasure ; the 
other is, using tobacco. It has been demonstrated 
in former pages, that nature requires a certain 
quantity of proper food, to maintain a healthy and 
happy condition of body, and mind ; also, that ex- 



160 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

cess, of any kind, will be followed by suffering'. 
This is just as certain, as that a fall vessel must 
throw off just as much as is added to its contents. 
It is very natural that young persons should assem- 
ble for the sake of society ; being assembled, they 
must have some employment for the muscles of the 
body, and the craving of the mind. We have 
shown that such propensities spring from natural 
constitution, and that they must be satisfied. There 
must be a community of purpose in the meeting. 
That may be found in any muscular action in which 
all can join, and which has some definite object, as 
athletic games ; or, it may be found in some intel- 
lectual employment, which is common to all pres- 
ent. Unhappily, the common bond in such meet- 
ings is to drink, for in this all can join. Connected 
by this common attraction, the mind is called into 
action; but for what purposes ? Those who fre- 
quent places of public entertainment can answer 
this question. Some who are sent to public semi- 
naries can also answer it ; and some can answer it, 
who know that they are maintained there, by pinch^ 
ing economy at home. Some others could answer it, 
who never had a serious thought why seminaries 
were established, nor for what uses they were in- 
tended. 

247. We refer again to the demonstration hereto- 
fore made, that the law of nature, which cannot be 
broken with impunity, inexorably admits so much, 
and no more. Let us then look in upon a gay com- 
pany of young persons, around a table, and half 
concealed by tobacco smoke. What sort of air are 
they breathing ; what sort of substances are they 
casting into their physical system, already burst- 
ing with excess ; what sort of thoughts have 
they in their minds ; and what sort of words are 
flowing from their lips ? We could, but will not 
answer these questions for them. Let us pass by 
this revel, and go to the next day's morning. We 
might then propound some other questions. Are 
not their heads heavy, hot and throbbing ? Are 
not their eyes thick and burning ? Are not their 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 161 

tongues white, and parched ? Do not the nerves 
tremble ? Is not the mind confused ? In what 
condition are they to perform duties to themselves, 
to those they serve, to instructers, to affectionate 
parents ? Is not this dear bought pleasure ? How long 
can nature bear to be pleased in this manner ? This 
matter does not stop here. The same scene is re- 
peated again and again. Soon, habit asserts its aicful 
dominion ; and then the scene must be repeated. 
The craving cannot be resisted. From social 
drinking, the step is an easy one to solitary drink- 
ing. There is no resting place for habit ; everything, in 
this system of being, must keep on, or end. 

248. It is believed that the sort of criminal ex- 
cesses alluded to, are not from the promptings of 
nature. They are entirely artificial in the begin- 
ning. It seems irrational that any one should like 
to take more of any thing than nature requires ; and 
more so that one should naturally desire to take 
burning liquids, to the degree of intoxication, or 
perhaps to take them at all. It is believed there is 
no such natural propensity ; but that such liquids, 
when first taken, afford less pleasure than pure 
water. The taste for these articles is created by 
association, by imitation, by fellowship ; and above 
all, because there is a kind of tradition that it is 
manly to drink. Songs in praise of the juice of the 
grape, have some effect in the delusion of drinking. 
There is a fascination in combined poetry and mel- 
ody. Such combinations are w r ell known to have 
the most powerful influence in national associations. 
They inspire a feeling which bears men on to vic- 
tory, or death. The songs of Bacchus do the same. 
They conquer the strength of those who sing, and 
of those who listen to them, and sometimes lay 
their admirers, not in the bed of honor, but of con- 
tempt. We have nothing to say against poetry and 
music ; far otherwise. This world was made for 
human happiness. Poetry and music are means to 
that end. It is the abuse of them, as inducements 
to drinking, that deserves condemnation. 

249. If one could get the ear of a misguided 






162 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

youth, he would not do much by reasoning' with 
him. He might do something by getting him to 
reason for himself. It would be necessary to bring 
to his view some facts, from which he could reason. 
He must be made to know what a wonderful con- 
trivance the digestive power is, and by whom it 
was contrived. That its purpose is to take the in- 
animate substances, which nature provides for it, 
and convert them into living, sensitive being, and, 
possibly, into thinking power, and immortal spirit. 
He must be reminded how easily every human con- 
trivance may be deranged, and the more so, and ir- 
reparably, in proportion to the minuteness and del- 
icacy of construction. But as one might fail to 
make a thoughtless boy comprehend the nature of 
the principle of life, which resides in his own bo- 
som, because he cannot see it, some illustration 
must be made. Unhappily there is none which can 
be effective to this end. The nearest that occurs, 
is this. Let us suppose, then, that one knows the 
use, and the value, of the human eye in its physi- 
cal, intellectual and moral relations ; that he knows 
he must take care of it, and frequently bathe it in 
cold water, as well to cleanse it, as to refresh and 
brace it, so that it may still be an eye to him, when 
decline and old age shall come. Let us further 
suppose that instead of so using, and so preserving 
this delicate organ, he should, when he first rises 
in the morning, let fall into it a drop of burning 
spirit ; and at eleven o'clock another, and so on, at 
the proper hours, until he sleeps again : How long 
would the power of vision remain to him, and how 
soon will this organ of delight, become a source of 
insufferable pain ? It must be much the same with 
the digestive organs, as to the abuse of them. 

250. If one could, in some such way, bring home 
to the perception of an erring youth, the grievous 
wrong which he is inflicting on himself, he might be 
prepared to reason on his own case, and might be 
asked some such questions as these : Is it of any 
consequence to you to be free from suffering and 
Borrow ? As you must inevitably keep company 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 163 

with yourself, as long as you live, is it of conse- 
quence to you to make of yourself, a pleasant and 
agreeable companion, and not one who will be con- 
tinually complaining, and upbraiding ? Is health of 
any value to you ? can you use your limbs, and the 
faculties of your mind, as you would like to do, 
without it ? Can you have health, if your habit is 
to throw into that delicate part of your system, 
whereon the action of life depends, substances, 
which excite it to an unnatural exertion, or deprive 
it of all power of exertion ? Does not every part 
of your system sympathize with the injustice, which 
you do to your digestive organs ? Will not your 
brain, and consequently, your mind, suffer by this 
violence ? Do you expect to attain middle age, and 
old age ? Will not the seeds you are now sowing 
come up in that space of time ? Will they come up 
in the form of enfeebled muscles, chronic aches, 
self-reproaching thoughts ; the loss of the capacity 
to enjoy the bounties and beauties of creation ? 
Will they grow up to overshadow your moral sense, 
and shut out the delights of intellectual power ? 
Was life given to you for the few years in which 
you can sing, drink, and c enjoy yourself,' or, that 
you may enjoy life in every stage of it, as a rational 
being, and by rendering your homage to nature in 
obeying her laws, and your gratitude to Him, who 
ordained these laws, for your happiness ? Do you 
not look forward yourself, to be at some time a pa- 
rent ? Have your own parents ever so conducted 
themselves towards you, that you have a right to 
punish and afflict them ? Are you willing that your 
parents should see you, and know you, as you 
know yourself ? If you should be a parent, are you 
willing that your children should be told with whom, 
and in what manner, you c enjoy yourself ? ' Would 
you tell them how you spent your youthful days and 
nights, and recommend to them to take yourself as 
an example ? 

251. Tobacco. It is not to be supposed that the 
Deity has made anything in vain. The proper uses 
of all things that exist are far from being known. 
16 



164 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

Additions are often made to our stock of knowledge 
in these respects. There may be proper uses for 
tobacco. There are some persons so employed in 
life, that they may, perhaps, use it with impunity. 
They are persons who labor hard, with the body, 
and who have little call for mental action. Such 
persons are sometimes engaged in solitary tedious 
duty. The continual craving for action in the ma- 
terial system, that is, for something to do, is, in 
some degree, supplied by this vegetable. Such 
persons balance its evils, by physical action, which 
invigorates the action of the stomach. Of this de- 
scription are soldiers and sailors. It is probable 
then in the lonely midnight watch, tobacco may be 
a soothing friend. Yet it may well be doubted, 
whether the sum of human happiness may not have 
been greatly diminished by the use of it. Even to 
soldiers and sailors, it has become necessary under 
that friend and foe of the human family, habit. 
For, every one knows, who has subjected himself 
to this habit, how painful and disgusting were the 
first steps towards it. It may be set down as an 
established and unquestionable law of nature, that 
tobacco is pernicious to every one, who is not ha- 
bitually in strong bodily action. It is consequently 
pernicious to all who rely on the labor of the mind, 
and with whom bodily action is a secondary con- 
cern. Tobacco is considered by medical men as a 
poison. They demonstrate, that taken in powder 
it does two evils, first it finds its way to the brain, 
and disturbs its action, and sometimes palsies the 
nerves of that seat of reason. Second, it finds its 
way to the stomach, disorders the digestive power, 
and sends from that centre of action, through the 
system, the infirmities which it engenders there. 
Taken in smoke, it visits not only the brain and 
the stomach, but the lungs. We have seen what 
the lungs were made for ; certainly not to receive 
and transmit tobacco smoke. The weakness of 
digestion, the enfeebled limbs, and overcast intel- 
lect, which sedentary men, and students, complain 
of, are obtained from the delights of the cigar ; al- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 165 

though it is said, that one who has smoked long 
enough to make his lungs as black as his shoe, 
cannot tell with his eyes shut, whether his cigar is 
lighted or not. The remaining mode of using to- 
bacco is, probably, that from which there is the 
most of evil. It lies in this. It is found that those 
operations of nature on which the most is made to 
depend, are provided for by correspondent delicacy 
and adaptation, to the effect to be produced. The 
continuance of life, therefore, as the first object, is 
provided for by a process which begins with the 
first reception of food into the mouth. There are 
organs there, fitted to yield a liquid by the excite- 
ment of food, which is indispensable to digestion. 
Every one knows what is meant by having his 
mouth water. This use of tobacco calls forth, and 
misapplies this liquid. So does smoking. Both 
create an unnatural thirst. By the third mode of 
using tobacco, its evil consequences are more di- 
rectly communicated to the stomach. Here is the 
seat of strength and power, if rationally, used ; 
here, also, is the seat, from abuse, of feebleness, 
trembling, faintness, palsy, apoplexy, and death. 
Those who put an end to themselves by rum and 
tobacco, are of some use in the world. They are 
like crosses set up in catholic countries by the way 
side, to show that a murder was committed on 
that spot. But those who put themselves to death 
by their own follies, show, not only that a murder 
has been committed, but who it was, how done, and 
by whom. 

252. All consumers of tobacco know two things. 
1. That they came to the use of it through painful 
struggles. 2. That they cannot break the chain of 
habit, without struggles still more painful. How 
does it happen, then, that tobacco is so commonly 
used ? Its use, and that of opium, which is the 
same thing in a more hateful form, began with sav- 
ages, Turks, and Asiatics, to fill that aching void, 
which belongs to all idle and uncultivated minds. 
It has found its way, unhappily, to those who need 
no relief from such cause ; but who might if they 



166 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

would, fill up every moment, innocently, and profit- 
ably. It has become so general, from ignorance 
and thoughtlessness. A still more efficient cause is, 
the propensity to imitation, and the natural antici- 
pation of approaching stages in life. A boy wants 
to be a man. He likes to do those things which 
men do. Men use tobacco, therefore boys must 
use it ; and boys soon find themselves entrapped in 
a habit, and act, as all other persons do who are 
so entrapped. 

253. Is there any remedy for this evil ? Perhaps, 
there is none but this, not to begin. And why should 
one begin ? Suppose all who use it were asked, if 
you had never begun, would you, knowing what 
you do, have had a pleasanter life without it, than 
you have had with it ? One cannot know what the 
general answer would be ; but every one must know 
this, that, from some persons the answer would be : 
u Tobacco has been to me the most distressing 
u evil ; I bitterly lament that I ever began this truly 
" afflictive practice ; but it has become a part of my 
" existence; no operation of my will can disengage 
u me from it." Some might answer doubtingly, and 
others would not ascribe to this weed the evils 
which they have suffered from it. Why should a 
young person take upon himself a want voluntarily, 
which may lead to painful consequences, and the 
gratification of which is not only, not called for by 
nature, but which is most expressly condemned by 
this high authority ? Some reasons have been given 
why it is so condemned. There are many others. 
Those already spoken of, and many others that 
might be, regard the direct injury to the consumer 
of tobacco. Others relate to those with whom the 
consumer associates. It may be considered as un- 
questionably true, that every person who uses to- 
bacco, is, in some way, troublesome, or disgusting, 
to every person in whose presence he uses it. This 
is a breach of social law. No one has a right to 
follow a pleasure, which is a grievous displeasure 
to those who must witness it. If one has been so 
unfortunate, in early life, as to fall into the use of 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 167 

tobacco, as it is entirely a solitary pleasure, he 
should use it in solitude, and not where he will 
poison the atmosphere which others must breathe, 
or do those acts which violate the decencies of 
civilized life. An eminent statesman, who had re- 
turned from the court of France, was asked, wheth- 
er gentlemen smoked in France ; "Gentlemen," said 
he, " smoke nowhere"* 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

DUTIES. 

Actions which are wrong as to One's-self, and which may be 
so as to others, — Continued. 

254. Gaming, divested of its delusions and fasci- 
nations, is a contract to this effect: A says to B, I 
have 1000 dollars. I owe nothing. I have no wife, 
no children, for whose benefit I ought to expend 
this money. I am under no moral obligation, which 
requires that I should expend the whole, or any 
part of it. I am under no necessity to keep this 
money to supply my own wants, present or future. 
I propose to you, to put another 1000 dollars against 
this sum, and draw lots which of us shall have both 
sums. B replies, I am willing to take this risk ; but 
drawing lots is soon done. When it is over, the 
winner will feel a mingled emotion of pleasure and 
pain ; the loser will feel clear disappointment and 
chagrin. We can prolong the interest, and increase 
the pleasure of expectation, by going, not for the 
whole ; but by units and tens. Let us put winning 
or losing, not on lots, but on the chance distribution 
of cards which, when turned up, and compared, 
shall decide who loses, and who wins. This will 
engage us for some hours, and all night, and all the 
next day, if so much time be necessary, to accom- 

16* * Go verneur Morris. 



168 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

plish our object. Now it is very plain, that the 
purpose here is to get money, on a contingency, 
but with the risk of losing, by the same. This is 
gaming, in whatsoever form the means of carrying 
it on may appear. It is a complicated violation of 
all law. 1. It is action : but it is wrong, and per- 
verted action. 2. It is disposing of time, but it is 
among the very worst modes of disposing of it. 3. 
It is an impulse of the commendable desire of ob- 
taining property ; but this is a mode condemned by 
every sense of duty. 4. It is so condemned because 
all notions of order demand, that acquirements 
shall be attempted, and pursued, by means which 
make one satisfied with himself, and which occasion 
no suffering, or sorrow, to others. 5. It is untrue, 
that any human being ever has $1000 or any sum, 
which he has a right to dispose of in gaming. 6. 
A passion for gaming extinguishes, or converts into 
a withering curse, every fine feeling of the human 
heart. Time, health, property; the profane use 
of the tongue ; character, self-respect, and peace 
of mind, are the sacrifices made at the gaming ta- 
ble. Unnoticed by the miserable victim, the 
shackles of habit are put on, which no earthly 
power can unrivet. When the gambler's last shil- 
ling is gone, he starts, as from a dream, into a full 
sense of the complicated misery, and ruin, in which 
he has involved himself. He must then devote 
himself to infamy ; and submit himself to the power 
of a gravitation, which will bring him, inevitably, 
to the bottom of its abyss. The evils of gaming 
may be judged of by the number of suicidal deaths 
which it occasions, especially, in the great cities of 
Europe. All gaming for property leads, in propor- 
tion to its character, to such results. 

255. Avarice. This is an all absorbing passion. 
It puts all other passions to death. The avaricious 
man stands, a living monument, at their tomb, to 
tell what lies buried there. Those who have fallen 
under the dominion of this degrading passion are 
justly considered deranged, for they are insensible, 
not only to all the natural sympathies of the human 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 169 

heart, but regardless of all natural promptings of 
human nature, as to themselves. The object of 
the avaricious is, to get, and to hold, that which 
they do not use, forgetful that all which comes from 
the earth returns to it, or, at least, cannot be car- 
ried from it. Death, to the avaricious, is terrible. 
It separates them from the only God, they ever 
knew, or cared to know. The word avarice, is de- 
rived from the Latin word aveo, to desire ; but by 
long usage, it is limited to mean, the desire of 
money. Money, is in itself, without value, except 
for the use which can be made of it. The word 
miser is derived from the same word in Latin, which 
means miserable. It fitly expresses the estimation 
in which the world holds the insane love of money. 
It is just as reasonable to desire money, as to de- 
sire those things which money will buy ; or to de- 
sire ability to do those things which can be done 
only with money. The perversion lies, in the false 
estimate of its value. Avarice is only an extrava- 
gant illustration of selfishness. It is a kind of re- 
tributive justice, that the money which comes from 
the coffers of a deceased miser, is usually found 
to make up for its long rest by the rapidity with 
which it circulates and loses, all connexion with 
its former owner. And why ? a miser finds no time 
to educate heirs in a manner which prepares them 
to possess, and to use ; nor has he room in his 
head for such a thought ; nor in his heart for any 
feeling, that does not begin, and end, in himself, as 
existing in, and for, one grossly immoral purpose. 

256. Profaneness. Excepting the high crimes, 
which are punishable by the public laws, there is 
no one more shocking than profaneness, nor any 
crime which there is so little inducement to commit. 
Profane swearing is of two kinds. 1 . That in which 
the Deity is called on to do the will of a sinning 
mortal. 2. That in which the Deity is called on 
to witness the truth of such a being's thoughtless, 
or false declarations. This common practice can 
be accounted for only on two grounds ; 1. Pitiahle 
ignorance ; 2. Abominable wickedness. On the 



170 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

first ground, surely the profane swearer must be 
ignorant of the meaning of the terms which he 
uses. It is impossible to believe, that he can real- 
ize, icho speaks, to whom, and of ivhat. If he did 
understand his own words, he would be struck with 
horror. When one hears such expressions, he can 
hardly restrain himself from saying, c You con- 
temptible worm of this little earth ! Do you call 
upon the Universal God to execute the sentence of 
your wrath, and of your folly ? Do you call on Him 
to witness your disgraceful assertions, and your 
low-born thoughts ? Ought you not rather to trem- 
ble lest His awful justice should instantaneously 
wither your prostituted tongue ! ' 

Surely, if there be any escape for the profane, 
from that condemnation which they imprecate on 
others, it must be, that mercy will be extended to 
them in compassion for their ignorance. If they are 
not ignorant, but do knowingly and wilfully so mis- 
use the gift of an immortal mind, and that unques- 
tionable proof of Divine power and goodness, the alil- 
ity to speak,-they cannot be subjects of moral instruc- 
tion. They should be left, like the consumers of rum, 
and tobacco, to shock, and to warn others. 

251. To those who aspire to the dignity of being 
regarded as rational persons, and to be sensible of 
the capacity of improving, and exalting their condi- 
tion, there is something to be said. Swearing, is 3 
by some persons, held to be a genteel, and manly 
accomplishment. To swear with a good grace, is 
a proof that one is a gentleman ! But alf persons 
who are really gentlemen, consider this practice to 
be a decisive proof of a low and vulgar mind. We 
lay aside now, the breach of divine law, and that 
accountability which we have endeavored to show 
to be inevitable. We consider this only on the 
principle of pure self-interest, which every one must 
admit to be the proper governing principle. Does 
not one who is habitually profane, necessarily en- 
tertain a low opinion of himself? Would any re- 
spectable merchant, or mechanic, or farmer, receive 
into his service, a youth whom he knew to be a 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 171 

profane swearer ? Could any one who is known to 
be such, find admission into any school, academy, 
seminary, or college? Would any respectable pa- 
rent admit such a one to be a companion of his 
children, or a visitant in his family ? Would not 
every reasoning* person say, that a youth who is so 
ignorant as not to know, that swearing is a violation 
of natural and divine law, must be ignorant enough 
not to know, that there are many other laws for the 
proper government of society, and consequently 
that he is an unsafe person to be trusted ? If the 
profanity be the consequence of voluntary wicked- 
ness, then surely all reflecting persons would say, 
that he who is wicked in this respect, is indeed 
wicked ; but then he will be wicked in others, also. 
For, as there is one chain which runs through all 
the virtues, and binds them in a sympathetic union ; 
so also is there a chain which unites all the vices. 
He who swears may be justly suspected of drink- 
ing ; he who swears and drinks, may be justly sus- 
pected of gaming ; he who swears, and drinks, and 
games, must keep very bad company, by da} 7 -, and by 
night. He who keeps such company from such 
motives, must squander his own property, or steal 
that of somebody else to expend. He who robs 
another, will commit forgery ; and he who is so 
desperate as to commit these two latter crimes, will 
not hesitate long, to put a human being out of the 
way of his pressing wants, if he is tempted to do it. 
It is probable, that habitual lying, and swearing, are 
the first steps in that mournful series of crimes, and 
the first beginnings in the course of deplorable 
wretchedness, which deform and disgrace human 
society. Will any one maintain that these are ne- 
cessary evils ; and that God has so made man, that 
they cannot be prevented ? Surely, these are evils 
wholly of human origin ; and where they begin, 
there lies the power to extirpate them. 

258. Envy. It is x to be kept in view, that the 
main object is to show, that this is a good sort of 
existence, if man knew how to use it ; and that he 
is the author of his own afflictions. This is remark- 



172 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

ably illustrated in the matter of envy. It is probable 
that a large proportion of mankind, in all classes, 
suffer from the dominion of this passion. It can be 
shown, that it is peculiarly the passion which man 
has made for himself, out of emulation, which latter 
is the Creator's work. In this instance, man has been 
exceedingly ingenious, and successful, in making 
himself miserable. He has done worse, he has pro- 
vided for himself, in creating envy, a fountain which 
Fends forth, not one water, but many, and each one 
foul and poisonous. He who has submitted him- 
self to envy, has bound himself to think, to feel, and 
to act, as envy prompts. It would be most shock- 
ing to know, what agency this monster has had in 
human affairs. If any one should read history, and 
watch the movements of his fellow men, merely to 
learn the operation of this principle of action, he 
would see, probably, the most operative cause of 
the misery which men inflict upon themselves, and 
on each other. If one has not time to read history, 
and watch his fellow men, he may, perhaps, learn 
much of what he would find in these authorities, by 
reading his own heart. 

259. The word envy comes from two Latin words, 
in and video, and signifies looking against. It arises 
from perceiving in other persons, qualities which 
one's own self-love leads him to wish to have ; as 
beauty, strength, grace, learning, eloquence, power, 
&c. It extends to riches, to office, to distinction ; 
to the respect and esteem in which one is held 
by his fellow men, and even to birth and ancestry. 
It makes one sorry that he has not these good things; 
and makes him angry, that others have them. One 
easily persuades himself that great injustice is done 
to him, in that he has them not. The next step is 
to hate him who has them. Then comes the desire, 
to deprive the supposed fortunate possessor of the 
benefit of them. But, to admit that one has these 
malignant promptings, is contrary to another prin- 
ciple of self-love, and, therefore, no man tells another 
of his own envy ; and he tries to wrap it up from 
his own view. As he cannot, and dare not openly 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 173 

manifest that he is envious, he must obey the sug- 
gestions of malice in the dark. He, therefore, in- 
trigues, insinuates, and becomes adroit, in putting 
one thing for another ; he secretly, and by covert 
means, undermines the object of his hatred. He 
whispers his doubts, suspicions, opinions, and be- 
lief. If the tenure of the hated object is too strong 
to be shaken, then the bad use which he makes of 
his advantages, are sought out. The base accom- 
paniments of his fine qualities are brought forth, 
and placed in the strongest lights. ' She is beauti- 
ful ; but she is vain, haughty, and silly. He is rich, 
but he got his wealth by frauds, and hoards it like a 
miser. He is able, eloquent, and popular; but he is 
selfish, and insincere, and would put a yoke on eve- 
ry neck in the republic, if he could. He is making 
a great flourish in the world, but it is all false and 
hollow ; he came from nothing, and will go back to 
nothing.' It may be easily inferred, that one who 
has surrendered himself to the dominion of envy, 
not only deprives himself of the profitable use of 
what he has, or might have, but makes himself 
wretched in contemplating what he must know he 
cannot have ; he is so wrought upon, that whatso- 
ever seeds of crime he may have in his heart, are 
sure to start into luxuriant growth. 

260. Can any rational being doubt, that this sort 
of suffering, and crime, are entirely of man's making? 
Can it be doubted that he can prevent them ? These 
are violations of natural law, and Divine law ; and 
no law comes from this source which cannot be un- 
derstood and obeyed. Let us take an example, and 
seek out the unreasonableness and immorality of en- 
vy ; and to do this effectually we must take a strong 
case, and in some degree, a fanciful one. Let us 
suppose that in a seminary of females there is one 
who is very beautiful ; her parents are very rich, 
and are highly respectable ; and that this young 
lady is distinguished by her genius, and her dili- 
gence, and good conduct, and is obviously in the 
receipt of the preceptor's unqualified approbation. 
Let us further suppose, that there are some of her 



174 



MORAL CLASS BOOK, 



school fellows who envy her. Their countenances 
show what they feel. Every mark of favor mani- 
fested to this fortunate person, is a blow on every 
envious heart. Discontent, distress, and maligni- 
ty, take up their abodes in these hearts, and enter 
into thriving partnership. But, the beauty, the 
genius, the diligence, the wealth, the parentage, 
the applause, are not among the dividends which 
these partners make ; these remain where they 
were ; and what dividends do they make ! Let us 
suppose that the envious could do what they 
would ;- — that is, annihilate the envied qualities, 
and make the possessor too low, and contemptible, 
to be more thought of ; and let us suppose too, that 
the successful adventurers succeed to what is now 
the first eminence ; is there no one below to pull 
them down ? — They are soon down, and by like 
means ; and thus the demolition would descend, un- 
til the seminary became too low a place for even 
envy to find something to live on. 

261. Is not this a fair example of what we con- 
tinually see in all grades, and classes, of social life ? 
and is not this passion of envy, earthborn, mischie- 
vous, and odious ? What is the remedy ? Com- 
mon sense, and plain reason, point out the remedy. 
Generally speaking, every member in society is 
just as much in his own place, as he is in his own 
skin. No one can be in another's place. Every 
one has his place originally assigned to him, and 
his natural condition in it, by means, over which 
he had no control, and in making which he had no 
agency. What he will make out of himself, and of 
the circumstances in which he finds himself, must 
depend, (after the irresponsible state of infancy is 
passed) on his own thoughts, motives, and acts. 
He will find his greatest good, not in repining at 
the good of others (which he can never make to be 
his own, and which he cannot destroy without ex- 
pecting retributive justice as to himself), but in 
making his own condition as good as he can, con- 
sistently with self-respect, and peace of mind. 
That which is given to others, and all that they can 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 175 

lawfully acquire, is righteously their own. All that 
is given to one's-self, and all that he so acquires is, 
in like manner, his own. If he would have no in- 
justice done to him, by those who are below him, 
he must do no injustice to those who are above him. 
We entertain no doubt that the day will come when 
youth will be so instructed, and men so self-disci- 
plined, as to know, that the laws of nature, and the 
laws of society, when conformable to these, per- 
mit to every person a proper place ; enjoin duties 
in that place; and insure happiness from the per- 
formance of those duties. When that day comes, 
envy will die. 

262. Emulation. This has been sometimes classed 
with envy ; but they have nothing in common. 
One would feel like a culprit in being known to be 
envious, but would rightly take praise to himself in 
being emulous. This motive to action was given 
to man for the best possible purposes ; and upon 
the application of it, with justifiable views, and to 
commendable ends, the advancement of human 
welfare mainly depends. We understand it to 
mean, the desire to obtain excellence, in laudable 
pursuits. An envious man may be supposed to say, 
1 Your eminence distresses me ; I cannot bear to 
see you sitting up there ; and though I have not 
the shadow of hope that I can ascend to your place, 
if you were out of it, nevertheless, I must pull you 
down, if I can ; and then we shall stand on the 
same level.' An emulous man may be supposed 
to say, 4 1 admit that you are where you should be. 
You have raised yourself by fair and just means. I 
have no desire to disturb you, nor to impede your 
further progress. You have done me no injustice; 
on the contrary, you have rendered me the impor- 
tant service of showing me how one may honorably 
rise. I shall follow your example, and endeavor to 
place myself by your side. If I can get there, w& 
shall have a fair, good-tempered rivalry, and we 
may animate, and quicken each other's efforts. If 
you are able to keep always in advance of me, you 
will make me diligent, and enable me to excel oth- 
17 



176 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

ers, if I cannot equal you.' There seems to be 
nothing immoral in this. In this view emulation is 
presented in its true and amiable character. Like 
all other things intrusted for good purposes, it may 
be perverted. It frequently excites very unworthy 
feelings, whence it has been often confounded with 
envy. Emulation is the principle on which instruc- 
ted rest the inducement to be diligent in schools ; 
and it is there that the perversion alluded to, is 
often noticed. When children are required to get 
and recite the same lesson, there must be a best, 
and a worst, among them. Excellence may depend 
on natural talent, or on industry, or on both. It 
deserves great consideration, in what manner, the 
stimulus of emulation should be applied. It must 
be applied in some manner, no doubt. If human 
beings were not naturally led to compare them- 
selves with each other, and to obey the proper sug- 
gestions which arise from that comparison, life 
would be very still and stupid. But, what use 
should be made of the principle of emulation in 
schools, wherein the strongest desire, and the ut- 
most effort to do well, may, (in some instances), 
fail of reward, and of self-satisfaction, requires more 
consideration than this matter has, hitherto, had. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

DUTIES. 

Wrongs, to One's-self and others, arising from the perver- 
sion of some good principle of action. 

263. Jlnger. This word is derived from a Latin 
word, which means to choke, or strangle. In sev- 
eral other languages its root is found, and in all it 
has the signification of strangling, choking, con- 
straining, or narrowing. In common understand- 
ing of its meaning, which is the true one, it is a 
violent passion of the mind, arising" from some real 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 177 

or supposed injury ; and its natural tendency is to 
do two thing's, first to take satisfaction for the in- 
jury; second, to make the offender suffer. This 
passion does not appear to be wrong in itself. Like 
many other excitements, which are common to our 
nature, it was given to us for useful purposes; and 
is only wrong, when its dominion is injuriously sub- 
mitted to, and unjustifiably obeyed. There is a 
principle of general operation among all animated 
beings, which reconciles the existence of anger with 
the wisdom and benevolence of the Deity. All an- 
imals are entrusted by nature, with the preserva- 
tion of their own rights, and the promotion of their 
own welfare. But all animals are liable to have 
their rights infringed, and their welfare disturbed 
by others. If there were no sensibility to wrongs, 
the cunning and the strong would make all others 
obedient to their will. Anger is justifiable in self- 
defence, and in exacting justice, and in making an 
offender suffer, within the limits of reason. It is 
only in the misdirection, and irrational use of an- 
ger, that men make this principle of their nature a 
cause of affliction to themselves. Certainly the in- 
dulgence of an irritable angry temperament, is one 
of the sorest troubles experienced in human life. 

264. Anger has its seat in the mind. It is a pas- 
sion which literally means an excitement of the hu- 
man system, by the action of some external cause 
perceived by the mind. It is that passion which 
has the most immediate, and the closest connexion, 
with the material system. Every one who has ex- 
perienced a violent fit of anger, knows, that the 
natural action of the heart is quickened, and that 
his blood courses through his veins w r ith a feverish 
rapidity ; he feels that his face reddens with this 
action of his blood ; that his eyes are full and dis- 
tended ; that he has a sense of choking in the 
throat : these emotions will gradually subside, as 
the fit goes off, and the blood will resume its accus- 
tomed flow. So far, this may be only a temporary 
physical evil. This, however, is not all the evil. 
Such an excitement can never occur without af- 



178 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 



fecting other parts of the system. The interior 
organs of the system, which minister to the diges- 
tive process, partake in the evil effects of this vio- 
lent action of the blood. These also are choked, 
and constrained, in their natural and necessary ac- 
tion. Physicians and naturalists tell us, that the 
frequent action of anger generates stones in the gall 
bladder, makes the liver schirrous, (become hard) 
and deranging the indispensable flow of the bile, 
brings on jaundice and other diseases. (Such afflic- 
tions arise from various other causes also.) It is 
well known that there are instances of sudden 
death from violent anger. This is accounted for by 
the sudden rushing of the blood through delicate 
vessels, which are not strong enough to hold it. 
They give way, the human machine is ruined, and 
death follows. It is said that the theories, as to 
long life, are contradictory. By some, it is referred 
to temperance. But some persons have lived long, 
who w^ere not remarkable for this virtue. It is ra- 
tional to suppose that a naturally good constitution 
will endure long, if the rules of temperance be re- 
spected, and if the system is never subjected to 
violent passions. It is probable that those persons 
live longest, who are not only temperate in quantity, 
and quality, but who are also good natured, and 
cheerful. 

265. Supposing the foregoing suggestions, as to 
the nature of anger, to be well founded, they are to 
be applied, by persons who are entrusted with 
their own rights and welfare, and whose great pur- 
pose is to obtain the greatest good from life, as a 
whole. It is admitted, that all persons may, and 
perhaps must be, sometimes angry, until all persons 
attain to a much higher state of moral perfection 
than has hitherto been known. But it seems to be 
of great importance to one's-self to learn, in what 
way he can govern the propensity to anger, so as 
to make it what it was meant to be ; that is, means 
to his safety and welfare, and not, as too often it is, 
a cause of suffering and humiliation. 

266. The causes of anger are supposed to be 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 179 

these ; first, by the law of nature, and of society, 
every one has rights in what he regards as his own 
property ; second, one has a right to hold unim- 
paired, whatsoever he can justly acquire in reputa- 
tion, and character ; third, he has a right to have 
his feelings respected by others, if he do no wrong to 
their feelings ; fourth, he has a right to have the 
like rights respected in those with whom he is ne- 
cessarily connected, by family and social ties ; 
fifth, he has a right to be treated with justice, and 
according to established laws, by those who are en- 
trusted with power ; sixth, he has a right to have 
those who are bound with him, in a common sub- 
jection to such laws, treated with justice. When- 
ever any one is offended by the violation of any of 
these rights, he may be justifiably angry. But in 
what manner, and to what end, he shall express 
his anger, so as to do himself the greatest justifia- 
ble good, is the thing to be known. 

287. Every one who has had a violent fit of an- 
ger upon him, knows, that it was to himself, (inde- 
pendently of the cause, and object of his anger), a 
painful and even a very distressing sensation. No 
one ever looked back upon such a state of things, 
as to himself, with satisfaction ; but generally with 
regret, and sometimes with remorse. He feels 
humbled, and grieved, in his own estimation of 
himself. He may too well remember that he used 
expressions, and did acts, which he is grieved to 
have resting in the memory of others, or in his own. 
It is probable, also, that no one ever saw another in 
a violent passion, without feeling that this ansrry 
person was degrading himself, and acting more like 
a brute, than a rational being. Whatever be the 
cause of such anger in another, cool spectators 
always regard the angry person, as under a tempo- 
rary loss of reason, and in danger of doing some se- 
rious mischief, and are prompted to restrain him. 
Every one feels, in such a case, that the least that 
can happen to one so acted upon, nd so acting, is, 
that he is preparing for himself hours of self re- 
proach, and of bitterness. If no one likes to remem- 
17* 



180 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

ber that he was violently angry himself, and if he 
is offended in seeing others so, it must be admitted, 
that violent anger is contrary to natural law, as it 
most certainly is to Divine law. It is an abuse of 
the trust confided to us to promote our own welfare. 

268. As. to the cause and object of anger, there 
are certain cases in which sudden and violent an- 
ger is justifiable. The law of society permits the 
expression of it by violence, even to the destruction 
of human life. Thus, he who in violation of all 
law, human and divine, is attempting to take the 
life of a fellow being, may be justifiably slain by 
him who is in such peril. The same law justifies 
the like act in attempts to commit some grievous 
crime in relation to persons, or property. Thiz 
justification occurs only when the offence is in the 
course of being perpetrated. These are extreme 
and rare cases, and more properly to be considered 
in another place. In most cases in life, where an- 
ger is felt, the causes are of far inferior grade to 
those which the law of the land notices. It is to 
those of common occurrence to which our attention 
is now directed 

269. The cause of anger is some real or supposed 
wrong done, which prompts us to obtain reparation, 
and to punish the offender. It is consistent with 
reason for anv one, who is under the influence of 
anger, to be prepared to ask, and answer, the ques- 
tion, whether the wrong is real, or only supposed ; 
and whether he is himself free from the first impu- 
tation of having occasioned, by his own error, that 
which he regards as a wrong. If the offence be 
real, other questions arise, of this nature : What 
real good shall I secure to myself, by attempting to 
get a reparation; and in what respect shall I advance 
my own welfare by attempting to punish the offen- 
der ? May I not, in either of these attempts, in- 
volve myself, by words, or acts, in some wrong ; 
and give my adversary the advantage of finding me 
an offender, in trying to vindicate myself? If I 
could succeed in my attempt, what will it come to? 
Shall I not make the wrong done to me more noto- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 181 

rious, and subject myself to the pity, and compas- 
sion of others ? Is it not better to be silent, and 
quiet, and leave the offender to time, and his own 
conscience, than to engage myself iu a controversy, 
which is sure to be vexatious, and in which I shall 
run the risk of doing wrong, and in which I shall 
not be likely to get any good ? If I succeed in 
humbling my adversary, I shall surely make him 
my enemy forever; for, in the nature of man, he is 
slow to forgive the wounds inflicted on his own 
self-love. When this matter is over, and time has 
dissipated the mists whichi now prevent a clear 
view of it, and when other feelings and sentiments 
have arisen, shall I like myself the better for hav- 
ing been silent and quiet, than if I shall have at- 
tempted to command justice, and to inflict punish- 
ment ? It is probable, that young and ardent minds, 
and those who are looking back by the light of expe- 
rience, will answer such questions very differently. 
But the experienced can tell the young, with sor- 
rowful truth, that among the most painful suffer- 
ings of life, are to be numbered, those which have 
arisen from sudden impulses of anger, expressed in 
words, or acts. The experienced can also tell, 
with like truth, that in the common occurrences of 
life, angry words and acts, have seldom, if ever, ac- 
complished the purpose for which they were in- 
tended ; they have neither obtained justice, nor 
punished the offender ; but, on the contrary, they 
have often converted the injured party into an of- 
fender himself, and involved him in bitter recrimi- 
nations, keeping up an irreconcileable aversion, and 
even enmity, through life. We have, so far, sup- 
posed there to be a real, and justifiable cause of an- 
ger. But the case is very much stronger against 
the indulgence of angry feelings, when the cause is 
only imaginary. It is in many cases imaginary, es- 
pecially among young persons. They take up 
sudden impressions concerning the supposed con- 
duct, and words of their associates, and acquaint- 
ances, when no such conduct or words, have oc- 
curred ; or, if any did, none with intention to wound, 



182 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

or offend. If there be one casein which one feels 
himself peculiarly humbled, it is when he has man- 
ifested anger towards one, who has committed no 
offence, or who is entirely unconscious of having 
done so. 

270. It sometimes happens, that an offended per- 
son can restrain himself from expressions, and 
words, when he has been seriously offended. But 
he cherishes a malicious sort of feeling against the 
offender, broods over the wrong done, and permits 
his imagination to inflame the sense of wrong, until 
he makes himself too unhappy under this excite- 
ment, not to express it in some mode, which will 
occasion pain or affliction to the offender. If there 
be any one who has fallen into such a condition, he 
may be asked, whether he knows of anything, in 
the nature of regret, or remorse for his own follies, 
and sins, which is so exceedingly burthensome, as 
to carry about with him the feeling of aversion, ill- 
will, and malice, towards one who has offended ? 
What, then, is to be done ? angry words and acts 
are forbidden by the law of nature, by self-respect 
and by convenience ; the memory of an unavenged 
wrong is intolerable. Is there no remedy ? We 
think there is oue, in every person's power. If the 
individual with whom one is at variance, can, by 
calm expostulation, or by mutual friends, be brought 
to a just perception of the case, that is the remedy. 
If that fail, there is another remedy. Will you 
pass your life, in humiliating bondage to such a 
one ? Forget that there is such a person in the 
world. Never let him engage your thoughts for a 
moment. You do him no wrong by that. You do 
yourself a just and great good ; you cut amoral 
cancer out of your own heart. 

271. Among the sources of affliction in human 
life, is the uncalled for interference of third persons, 
in the angry collisions of others. It may some- 
times be an unavoidable duty to take a part in an 
angry quarrel. When this duty is to be performed, 
it concerns every one who is mindful of the trust 
confided to him of taking care of himself, not to en- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 183 

gage in the controversy in such a manner, as to 
become a principal party in it. As a general rule, 
it is the safe course to let angry persons settle their 
own concerns as they can. Certainly, no one who 
claims to he regarded as having a discreet sense of 
his own welfare, plunges himself into a quarrel. 
Yet this is a very common thing. It is often seen 
in schools. Parties and divisions grow up, extend 
and become more and more bitter, from the most 
trifling causes ; and are often carried out into man- 
hood, and show their evil consequences through 
life. This is so, because impressions made in that 
season, are very vivid, and durable. It is a duty, 
sometimes, to take a part in controversies. It must 
be remembered, when one engages in such quar- 
rel, that he is dealing with persons who are under 
a sort of derangement^ and who are most exceed- 
ingly sensitive, and perhaps mutually vindictive. 
Those who interpose are bound by the law of self- 
regard, to interfere with calmness, and sound dis- 
cretion, and so to conduct themselves, in word and 
deed, as to do no evil to themselves, while they 
attempt to do all the good possible, to the angry 
parties. On the whole, mismanaged anger, is a 
prolific source of suffering. Yet when calmly looked 
back upon, in a great majority of cases, the cause 
was some insignificant trifle, magnified into serious 
importance, by angry words, and pitiful acts. Such 
is the propensity of persons to busy themselves in 
the quarrels of others, that there is little reason to 
hope, that a preventive can be successfully offered 
to any but to those, who have studied out, and 
who reverence, the will of the Deity, as disclosed 
in the nature of things, and in his own positive 
law. 

272. Self-respect. Every one has some sort of 
opinion, more or less distinct, of all persons with 
whom he is acquainted. This opinion may embrace 
intellect, disposition, virtues, vices, personal ap- 
pearance, deportment, condition in life. So also 
everyone has some opinion of himself on the same, 
and on many other subjects, best known to himself. 



184 



MORAL CLASS BOOK, 



When one examines his own opinion of himself, he 
seems to do it as though he were another person. 
He uses the eyes of others. He turns aside as it 
were, by the way, to see himself pass by. The 
judgment which one forms of himself, is often much 
more unsound than that which he forms of others. 
The eye cannot see itself; so neither can any one 
see himself. He must use a mirror. There are 
many of these. History, bosks, daily example, 
every person he comes in contact with, his own 
experience, are mirrors. If he sees himself in these, 
and thereby corrects his own errors and follies, and 
gives himself reasonable and just credit for his at- 
tainments, he may come, at length, to be entitled 
to entertain a respect for himself. There is a cer- 
tain best thing to be done, and a certain best man- 
ner of doing it, in all possible circumstances in 
which one may find himself. Nothing is entitled to 
be considered best which does not conform to natu- 
ral law, the law of God, the positive law of the 
land, the conventional laws of society, (so far as 
they are founded in reason and good sense), and to 
the decencies of life. To that best thing, and to 
that best manner, no one, perhaps, ever perfectly 
attains ; but it cannot be doubted that there is some 
such standard. He who comes the nearest to it, is he 
who is best entitled to entertain a respect for himself. 
This respect, it is apparent, comprehends many 
motives, and most of human actions. There are 
some men, who seem to have had this standard in 
view throughout their lives. It is probable that 
George Washington stood high in this class, perhaps 
as high as any man that ever lived. His coun- 
trymen do not know as much of his private life as 
it might be good for them to know ; but as to his 
public life, he seems always to have done the best 
thing, in the right time, and in the best manner ; 
he was entitled to have, and it must be supposed 
that he had, in fact, the high reward of self-respect. 
As self-respect, well founded, and in all things con- 
sistent with reason, relatively to one's-self and all 
others, is the safest guide that one can have through 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 185 

life, (since it is only another name for enlightened 
conscience) so, it may easily be perverted, and be- 
come a reproach, and even ridiculous. 

273. Pride. There is a kind of pride which is 
often mistaken for self-respect. We hear of honora- 
ble, and of laudable pride. We take pride to be 
that self-esteem, in which a man holds himself. It 
may be founded in his estimation of the qualities of 
his mind, in his attainments, in his possessions, in 
his strength, his beauty, his parentage and de- 
scent. It may also be founded in a consciousness 
of virtue, and of having faithfully done one's duty 
in all the relations of life. It seems to arise neces- 
sarily, from comparing one's self with other persons. 
If this be the right meaning of pride, it is very 
clear, that it is not always a sentiment which enti- 
tles one to respect himself. A man would be thought 
to be very unwise, who should openly declare that 
he valued himself, in comparison with other men, 
on account of his wealth, his beauty, or his family 
connexion ; equally unwise, if he should declare his 
opinion of himself to be, that he was superior to 
other men in the gift of natural intellect, in the cul- 
tivation of it, or in the practice of the various vir- 
tues. The common sense of mankind, founded in 
natural reason, does not approve of that self-gratu- 
lation which rests on the accident of birth, of inher- 
itance, nor even on the acquisition of fortune by 
one's own industry ; nor does it approve of that 
feeling, when founded on qualities which belong to 
the mind, nor even in the practice of the virtues, 
unless, when manifested in a becoming manner. 
There must be, in the very nature of things, some 
persons in every community, large or small, who 
are superior to others in these sources of self-es- 
teem. In every city, town and village in this na- 
tion, there are some persons who are in possession 
of some of these causes of self-esteem, in some com- 
parative degree, and other persons who have the 
fewest of them. Those, who so use their advan- 
tages as to entitle themselves to the esteem of 
others, and who are acknowledged to be respecta- 



186 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 



ble for that use, may well be entitled to respect 
themselves from such causes. Those who use 
them in such a manner as to announce the feeling 
of superiority over others, and habitually to offend 
the watchful feeling of self-love, are properly called 
the proud. It is believed, that these views conform 
to natural law, and to the necessary constitution of 
human society. 

274. Vanity. A still greater mistake is made in 
substituting vanity for self-respect. The word van- 
ity, is made out of two Latin words which signify 
exceeding emptiness. It is commonly understood to 
mean a strong desire to be noticed, considered, and 
esteemed by others, but on account of things rarely 
worthy of a rational mind. Vain persons covet 
praise. They thrust themselves, and all on which 
they value themselves, upon the notice of others. 
They delight in recounting their achievements, and 
sometimes make the sad blunder of speaking to those 
who know they are mistaken. They touch adroitly 
on their own excellencies, and provoke others to 
descant upon them. They have such delightful 
visions of self-complacency, that it seems cruel to 
disturb them. Such persons are always tools in 
the hands of the knowing ones, and most extensive 
use is made of them, in the political machinery of 
this country. In general, the display of this poor 
passion, is made by persons of very light and frivo- 
lous minds. It is seen at all ages, but strikingly in 
youth. To see a young person strutting, or minc- 
ing along, in a new garment, or in some personal 
ornament, and watching to see if he is noticed, and 
by whom, excites a feeling of pity and contempt. 
The same feeling arises when young persons are 
seen who say, in their movements, as intelligibly 
as though they spoke in plain English, i Do they 
not think me very handsome ; elegantly dressed ; a 
fine figure; exceedingly graceful?' In some in- 
stances, lookers on do think so, and smile contempt- 
uously at the same time. But in general, lookers 
on see no such thing as the vain imagine ; they do 
see that which it would be shocking" to those vota- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 187 

ries of vanity to know, is seen. They do see c tal- 
ents wasted, time misspent ; foolish hopes, and vain 
desires.' They do see that the purposes of life are 
misunderstood, or perverted. Is there any remedy 
for these follies ? None, probably, unless one could 
bring home to the minds of the vain, that they vio- 
late the strongest precept laid down in the code of 
natural law for the government of persons, indi- 
vidually, and socially. That precept commands 
them, so to conduct themselves in all things, as to 
entitle themselves to self-respect, and consequently 
to the respect of others. If the vain could conceive 
how small a portion they make of created being ; 
how insignificant a part they make of civilized soci- 
ety ; how many there are, in that society, whose 
pretensions, if asserted, would be transcendently 
superior to their own, they might, perhaps, dismiss 
their little vanities, and devote themselves to grati- 
fications worthy of their intended nature. 

275. Family pride. It is said to be no uncommon 
thing, in Europe, to see a worthless member of so- 
ciety, and, perhaps, odious for his vices or follies, 
proud of a long line of ancestors, to many of whom 
he may be a disgrace. A sentiment of veneration 
for worthy predecessors, is a very natural one. 
The world may be willing to tolerate this sentiment. 
They do this, however, only, when an individual 
shows a proper regard for progenitors, by his own 
personal worth. If there be anything, truly ridic- 
ulous, in this country, it is the manifestation of 
family pride in one, whose progenitors would be 
ashamed to know (if they could know it) that they 
had left such a descendant. So far as the just re- 
spect which is felt for the virtues of those from 
whom one claims descent, may operate as motives 
to virtuous conduct, there may be something in 
family pride ; but it seems to have no force beyond 
this. Such pride is a fleeting treasure in thi*s land. 
The vicissitudes in family relations are so sudden 
and revolutionary, that most individuals are liable 
to be thrown upon their own merits, in the course 
of life. In such reverses, one's ancestry are feeble 
18 






188 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 



aids. There are abundant proofs, that substantial 
merits need no aid from ancestral honor. 

276. Speaking of others. It may be asked, whether 
one is to be entirely silent at all times, and on all oc- 
casions, as to the character and conduct of others ? 
Certainly not. There are many occasions for speak- 
ing of others, and for speaking the truth of them, what- 
ever that maybe. All the members of any community 
are interested in knowing the true character of each 
other. The knowledge that this character may be 
known, is one of the most salutary correctives of 
erroneous conduct, and one of the strongest induce- 
ments to pursue that which is commendable. It is 
probably the case, that the members of every com- 
munity are pretty well understood by all who have 
an interest in knowing them. We know not of any 
law, which holds it to be immoral to speak the truth 
of any one, from good motives, and for justifiable ends. 
It is all important that this principle should pre- 
vail in our country, where so much depends on 
public opinion. Surely one's arms are not to be 
folded, and his lips closed, when he sees one bent 
on mischief, public, or private. It may be one of 
the highest moral duties, to declare what men are, 
and what they are aiming at, in many supposable 
cases. There can be no surer guide, than the 
motive, and the end. Inquiries are sometimes made, 
in matters of greater or less interest concerning 
others, confidentially, and where the inquirer needs 
to be truly informed. The party inquired of, has a 
right to be silent, if he thinks he has good reason to 
be so ; but if he answer, he is bound to state the 
truth. If he choose to speak, and wilfully conceal 
the truth, so that the inquirer is deceived, he sub- 
jects himself to the imputation of an intentional de- 
ceiver. 

277. There may be also, and there frequently 
are, confidential discussions of character, especially 
concerning public men, and where, perhaps, there 
is no particular end in view. This does not seem 
to be wrong ; such intercourse is not founded in 
malicious, nor unworthy motives. It is even, some- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 189 

times, instructive and philosophical. This, per- 
haps, is the extreme limit. In all other imaginable 
cases, it is, probably, most consistent with one's 
own self-respect, and all truly respectable motives, 
to let other persons alone, and leave to them the 
care of their own characters. 

278. Slander. This is a two-fold crime. 1. It is 
a breach of natural law, of divine law, and of the 
implied law of society, in relation to the party spok- 
en of. 2. It is a breach of the same law, in rela- 
tion to the party speaking. It has been commonly 
treated of in the first relation. It is now to be no- 
ticed in the second ; and if it be shown why it is a 
breach in this, the other will take care of itself. We 
beg leave to ask a slanderer a few questions : Do 
you desire to be esteemed in society for your intel- 
ligence, your sense of justice, your knowledge of 
the decencies of life, and for the observance of 
them ? If you happen to be ill-tempered, petulant, 
and disagreeable to your family connexions, and 
associates ; if you make hasty and troublesome 
judgments, which you have to rescind or reform; 
if you happen to be ridiculous in your deportment, 
and remarkable for silly vanities ; are you willing 
to have these things set forth in any, and every 
company, by any one who knows of them ? Sup- 
pose there to be only some slight foundation for 
some one, or more of these things, which, if you 
could have an opportunity to explain, would be en- 
tirely cleared up ; are you willing to have that 
slight foundation made the basis of a structure of 
reproach, which if true and real, ought to expel 
you from decent society ? Suppose there to be no 
foundation at all, for any such accusation of your- 
self, and yet somehow, and unaccountably, it is 
afloat, and circulating ; should you not think great 
injustice to be done to you ? This is just what you 
do to others. You take away their good name, if 
they deserve to have one ; you magnify their little 
faults and errors, and make them ridiculous or 
odious ; you try them on indictments, for serious 
offences, on which they have no opportunity to de- 



190 MORAL CLASS BOOK, 

fend themselves, and of which they are ignorant. 
Where did you get your information ? What credit 
were they entitled to, from whom you had it ? Did 
you understand them as they meant to be under- 
stood ? Where, and how, did your informants 
learn what they communicated ? Were they 
thoughtless, or malicious slanderers, like yourself? 
How much have you added to their slanders by 
way of recommending and making yourself agreea- 
ble ? Have you broken any law by this conduct ? 
We take the liberty to answer for you. 

279. You have broken every law which an hon- 
est and honorable man, and a rational individual 
should respect. 1. You have made every person 
whom you have spoken to, fear you, and shun you. 
You have shown that you know not what the value 
of a good name is, and have forfeited your own, if 
you ever had any. You have shown, that you are 
a stranger to self-respect ; that you have, probably, 
every one of the faults, follies, and errors, which 
you impute to others ; and desire to bring them 
down to your own level. Thus you have broken 
that law which commands you to do no evil to 
yourself. 2. You have violated that principle of 
natural law, which commands you to do no injus- 
tice to your fellow-men. You know not what opin- 
ions you may entertain of the party you have slan- 
dered, if circumstances, (as they may,) should bring 
you into connexion with him. You may find him 
to be, on a better knowledge of him, an amiable 
and worthy person. You may find all that you 
have said, and helped to circidate, utterly ground- 
less. If he be one whom you occasionally meet, 
and even ask to partake of your hospitality, how 
can you meet him, and manifest towards him, every 
sentiment of respect and esteem, when you have 
so spoken of him ? One of two things must be true, 
either you act a lie, when you meet him in such a 
manner, or you spoke a lie. when you represented 
him as you did, to others. 3. You have broken the 
law of God. To this law, perhaps, you are a stran- 
ger, and know not what wrong you have done. If 






MORAL CLASS BOOK. 191 

so, the kindest thing that any one can do you, is, 
to urge you to find out what it is, and to learn there, 
the sentence of the slanderer. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

DUTIES. 

Actions between One's-self, and others, whicn are common 
causes of dissension. 

280. There are very serious questions arising out 
of promises, out of alleged violations of justice, of 
truth, and of divers forms of obligation, which are 
noticed, and settled, by judicial tribunals, according 
to the law of the land. There are many questions, 
of like nature, which are referable to no tribunal 
but that of conscience, and that of public opinion, 
so far as that may be found to apply ; and it is the 
latter only, which are now to be considered. 

They are of daily occurrence, among all classes; 
and are often causes of mutual reproach, and last- 
ing bitterness. This arises from the different 
views, which the interested parties take, of the 
same transaction. Both may believe themselves 
aggrieved ; and both may sincerely think each 
other, offenders. This is a very common evil, and 
is founded entirely in defect of moral education. It 
cannot be pretended, that such evils are insepara- 
ble from human life. If men better understood, 
than they commonly do, that the causes might be 
avoided, and that when these evils have arisen, 
they might be very differently disposed of, from 
what they usually are, surely, human condition 
would be greatly improved. Common differences 
or dissensions are believed to arise, from supposed, 
or real disregard of truth ; or of sincerity ; or of the 
obligation of gratitude ; or of justice ; or of prom- 
ises; or of what is called, (in the language of the 
18* 



192 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

world) the law of honor. And, sometimes, from 
particular relations of parties. 

281. Truth and Falsehood. These two subjects 
relate to two parties ; 1, that one who speaks truth 
or falsehood ; 2, that one to whom it is spoken. 
This matter is to be considered only in relation to 
the first party, and as to him, in two views. 
1. Whether there be any, and what law, which re- 
quires that the truth should be spoken ; and 2. What 
good or evil one may do to himself by disregarding 
the truth. 

1. One reason why truth should be spoken is, 
that the knowledge which any one person can have 
from the use of his own senses, is, in many things 
which it most materially concerns him to know, 
very limited. He must, therefore, often depend, for 
his knowledge, on what others say to him ; and 
when the thing spoken of, is exclusively known to 
the party speaking, the other must rely entirely on 
what he says. If it be considered how great a part 
of the most serious concerns in life depend on dec- 
larations made by one person to another, if these 
could not be relied on, the affairs of mankind would 
be greatly embarrassed ; and confidence, would be 
destroyed. As this matter of speaking the truth is 
one which concerns all persons, so all persons agree 
in holding liars in contempt. Even the very lowest 
persons consider themselves to be disgraced, when 
charged with the guilt of lying. They can endure 
charges which would subject them to public punish- 
ment, with more composure than they can endure 
this. A lie is always understood to be resorted to, 
to secure some advantage, or prevent some evil, to 
the person who resorts to it ; or to occasion some 
disadvantage, or injury, to the person to whom, or 
of whom, the lie is told ; sometimes both these pur- 
poses concur. The object in view is always an 
immoral one, and the means used are always re- 
garded as disgraceful. It is obvious, that wilful 
falsehood is forbidden by natural law, which is in- 
tended to regulate our social relations ; and is ex- 
pressly forbidden by Divine law, which condemns 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 193 

all acts of fraud and deceit, and commands one to 
do to others, as he would have them do to him. 

282. 2. It is a rare occurrence that any one who 
descends to falsehood, succeeds in the object which 
he may have in view. He is commonly detected ; 
and if not, is suspected, which may operate quite 
as much to his disadvantage. If he should escape 
detection, and suspicion, he lives in constant fear of 
both. He has a very troublesome secret to keep. 
If he should be able to do this, still he cannot hide 
it from himself that he is a liar ; and such a person, 
by natural justice, is compelled to pass that sentence 
upon himself, which he knows that others would 
pass upon him, if they were as well informed as he 
is. A liar is, therefore, obliged to feel like a guilty 
person, and an habitual liar very soon comes to look 
like one. If there be no higher motive than one's 
own interest and welfare, in speaking the truth, and 
avoiding falsehood, this is a very sufficient one. 
If a man is known to be a person unworthy of confi- 
dence when he speaks, he has not the benefit of 
being credited even when he speaks the truth. 
He voluntarily deprives himself of the advantages 
of social life. His assertions secure to him no 
credit ; his promises are contemned ; he makes 
himself to be alone in the very bosom of society, 
for every one shuns him. In the administration of 
justice in courts, a person is not regarded as a wit- 
ness, whose common reputation is, that he is not 
believed when he speaks. The objection to him is 
not that he might not tell the truth in the matter 
which is on trial, but that such a person ought not 
to be received as a witness, because he cannot be 
credited in anything that he says. When such a 
person has been called, and examined as a witness, 
it is usual to examine other witnesses to prove his 
character ; and if it be proved that he is unworthy 
of credit, what he has sworn to is disregarded, 
though he may have declared the truth. This is 
the common fate of all such unfortunate persons in 
society, as well as in courts. Independently of the 
criminality, lying is very poor policy. If the object 



194 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

be to obtain a supposed good ; it rarely is obtained 
by such means ; and if it be, the price so paid, must 
always be greater than the good is worth. If the 
object be to conceal a wrong done, it is rarely suc- 
cessful ; and if not, it leaves the offender without 
excuse for his error, and adds another wrong. If 
the object be to charge an innocent person with a 
wrongful act, or to deprive one of his good name, or 
of some lawful possession, or subject him to some 
evil which he ought not to endure, the offence is of 
that cast which the law of the land holds to be ma- 
licious^ and it deals with such offence accordingly. 
In short, it is very difficult to violate any law of 
natural justice, or divine prohibition, without en- 
countering an adequate punishment ; and it may be 
assumed, that the punishment which follows lying, 
is as certain, and just, as in any instance of crimi- 
nality. If every tenant of every prison, and if eve- 
ry person who is in the custody of a goading con- 
science, were asked this question, what was your first 
step from innocence, and purity? he would probably 
answer, telling a lie. 

283. Every one, of common experience, knows, 
how frequently the question arises, whether one 
did, or did not say, such a thing, or did, or did not do, 
such an act; and that affirmation on the one side, and 
denial on the other, often grow into an aggravated 
contention. No one can doubt, that such troubles 
arise from a disregard of the moral duty of speak- 
ing with due regard to truth ; and from carelessness 
in remembering what was said, or done ; or, from 
what is much worse, a resolution to deny what one 
does remember, because it seems to be inconvenient, 
or disadvantageous to remember. As every one is 
a free agent, and may speak, or not, the original 
wrong lies, in having spoken that, which should not 
have been spoken. 

284. Sincenty and Insincerity. These are other 
names for truth and falsehood. They are not com- 
monly applied to the most serious concerns of hu- 
man life ; but, to what are called the c imperfect 
obligations.' Such obligations, it is well known, 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 195 

are not enforced by the law of the land, but are 
binding* as duties arising, as well from natural law, 
(reasonably expounded,) as from divine law. Sin- 
cerity is a duty to one's-self, because it is demand- 
ed by self-respect. As every one has an individual 
separate physical being, so every one has a separate 
circle within which he exists, and into which, no 
one has a right to intrude. His thoughts, motives, 
opinions, and policy, are his own. What he will, or 
will not do, (so that no wrong be done to others, and 
no act of duty be withheld from them) is for him to 
decide upon. Within this circle, he makes up his 
judgments on all persons and things. In his out- 
ward deportment, he must frequently act in a man- 
ner, not consistent with these judgments. As an 
example ; one has made up, from repeated observa- 
tions of a certain individual, a very clear, but very 
unfavorable judgment of his qualities ; but, there is 
no occasion to disclose what the judgment is. The 
observer is obliged, or finds it convenient, to meet 
this individual, and to deal with him, and perhaps 
to interchange courtesies with him. It is undoubt- 
edly proper to manifest the respect, in such case, 
which the decencies of life require ; and to show 
the common proofs of good will. There is no in- 
sincerity in this. Though no one can possibly 
avoid forming judgments of others, nor avoid liking 
or disliking them, even including very near friends 
and relatives, yet there may be a positive violation 
of duty in publishing these judgments, or in disclos- 
ing these feelings. The divine law, c judge not 
that ye be not judged,' does not, it is believed, in- 
terdict these judgments, because they cannot but 
be made ; but, it forbids the wanton, unnecessary, 
and injurious publication, or manifestation of them. 
Those who are keen observers of their fellow-men, 
see in their faces, in their manners, in their modes 
of speaking, in their tones of voice, in the senti- 
ments which they express, &c, causes for respect, 
esteem, confidence, and approbation, or, they may 
«ee causes for disrespect, suspicion, strong disap- 
probation, and disgust. But all these things belong 



196 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

to the individual circle. It is not insincere to keep 
them there. On the contrary, society would be 
intolerable if they were not kept there ; it is very 
hazardous to the observer to let them out, unneces- 
sarily. He may be mistaken, both as to the favor- 
able and unfavorable judgments, which he forms. 
Further observation, new circumstances, unexpect- 
ed changes, may essentially correct his judgment ; 
therefore, a prudent man will keep his judgments 
to himself. They are his own peculiar property ; 
they were obtained for his own use ; and, no person 
is adapted to get through the world, who has not 
sagacity enough to make them. Suppose one to 
have occasion to meet, and to act with, or against 
one, who is disagreeable and repulsive to him, 
what is the proper rule of conduct ? perhaps the 
fault is in the judgment formed, and not in the per- 
son of whom it is formed. The first safe measure 
is to take counsel of one's own conscience. But, 
suppose the impression just, and irradicable, as it 
sometimes well may be, the best way seems to be, 
to avoid the disclosure of it, unnecessarily. One 
can always resort to the forms of decorum which 
society has properly established. This course is 
also consistent with a regard for one's-self. For 
why should one put himself into a state of irritation 
and hostility, wherein he can gain nothing, and 
may lose much ? Perhaps this sensitive being is 
quite as disagreeable to other persons, as this par- 
ticular object is to him; and yet may have no sus- 
picion that he is so. He might not like to be as- 
sured of this ; nor be able, perhaps, to change the 
relation for the better, if he were.. 

285. Gratitude and Ingratitude, If a destitute 
young person should attract the notice of a wealthy 
man, and should be by him supported, educated and 
established in the world, so as to be able to live, to 
become independent, and respectable, every one 
would say, that this is a case for the feeling, and 
the expression, of fervent gratitude. Let us sup- 
pose, that the patron of this young man, frequently 
reminds him of his former condition, and by what 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 197 

means he finds himself where he is. Suppose the 
patron exacts a frequent acknowledgement of his 
bounty, and takes to himself unqualified praise for 
his goodness. Let us suppose, that the obliged 
party finds his condition very irksome ; and almost 
wishes that he had never been the subject of such 
burthensome favor ; and is, at length, provoked to 
say so ; Is he ungrateful ? It would seem, then, that 
gratitude had two sides to it, as well as two parties. 
He who has conferred a favor, has not done all 
which it concerns him to do ; and he who receives 
a favor may have a difficult task to perform. A 
bargain is an exchange of one thing for another, 
and the parties are even. The conferring of favors, 
whether asked for or not, seems to stand on very 
different grounds. Many elements make up that 
compound from which gratitude is said to arise. 
The parties may understand the nature of the fa- 
vor very differently at the time when it is conferred ; 
and more differently, afterwards. He who confers, 
has a retentive memory ; he who receives, a fading 
one ; time engraves the favor deeper and deeper, in 
the former ; and wears it out, more and more, in 
the latter ; — in the former, it often preserves the 
freshness of a new occurrence ; in the latter, the 
sense of favor often goes, and the weight of obliga- 
tion alone remains. It may be that the complaints 
made against ungrateful persons are not always 
well founded ; and that the expectations of those 
who confer favors are as little so. Some poet has 
written, 

He that's ungrateful has an only fault, 

All other crimes may pass for virtues in him. 

The meaning of this couplet must be, that the 
members of society are under no obligations to con- 
fer favors ; and that if they do confer them, the 
party obliged is a monster, if he do not, what ? we 
know not what is intended, nor that there is any 
rule by which gratitude is to be measured. We 
think that every member of society is to do what of 
good he can, and to whomsoever stands in need of 



198 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

it. He is not to stop to measure, and calculate, 
how he is to be paid for it. He may not be paid 
by the party benefited directly, but by some other, 
and in some unexpected way. Whosoever confers 
favors, opens an account with the changes, and 
chances, and accidents of life. His credit side will 
look well in the close. If he confer a favor, he does 
it because he thinks he can, and ought to. He has 
the pleasure of doing it. If he wishes to avoid the 
affliction of ingratitude, he can easily do it, by not 
letting the party obliged, know, unnecessarily, 
whence the benefit comes. 

286. Such modes of doing favors are rare. Wheth- 
er ojie ought to be grateful, or not, depends entirely 
on the act done, and the motive for doing it. What- 
ever the act may be, if the agent was moved to do 
it, by the expectation of a superior, or equivalent 
benefit to himself, he is entitled to no gratitude, 
whether he obtains that benefit or not. He may 
rather be regarded as immoral, in claiming grati- 
tude. When one has really conferred important 
favors, from entirely disinterested motives, he is 
entitled to gratitude. He may find the obliged 
party willing to manifest this feeling, or not. If 
not, the obliging party will best consult his own in- 
terest in making no claim. One who is so immoral 
as to ask, receive, forget, or deny favors, is not 
likely to be brought to a sense of justice, by being 
reminded of them. We must look at human nature 
as it really is, and is long likely to be. Every one 
who is compelled to ask a favor, inflicts a wound on 
his own self-love, and on his natural desire to be 
independent of his fellow-men. He is glad to get 
the favor, and humbled that he had to ask for it. 
He is very apt to transfer his feeling of uneasiness 
with himself, to the person by whom he has been 
obliged. It requires some magnanimity to be pro- 
perly grateful ; and if ingratitude means, a sense 
of uneasiness under the weight of favors, it does 
not seem to be that crime which diminishes all 
crimes to insignificance, and even converts them, 
by comparison, into virtues. As favors, are acts 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 199 

which one is at liberty to do, or not, however bene- 
ficial they may be ; the agent may put an end to 
all sense of obligation by his own misconduct in de- 
manding- an humiliating acknowledgment of them. 
This is much the same thing as to demand of a 
chained slave, to clank his chains to delight the ear 
of him who put them on. 

287. There are few pleasures in this life more 
self-satisfying, than that of doing good to others, 
from noble and disinterested motives. That man 
is to be regarded as favored by nature or education, 
or both, who justly estimates that pleasure. Such 
a quality likens one to HIM, who is the fountain of 
all good. He who seeks gratification from such 
acts, will not fail of his purpose, even if he should 
find the object of his bounty as thoughtless, thank- 
less, and ungrateful, as so many of the human fam- 
ily are, towards that Power on whom all that live, 
depend. 

It is not to be wondered at, that so many embar- 
rassments arise, in attempting to find exact values, 
where the means of measuring, are so imperfect ; 
and where even such measures, are used by inter- 
ested parties. It is obvious that better knowledge 
of moral duty, is the only remedy for such evils. 

288. Promises. A most prolific mother of trouble, 
and vexation in the world, is the making of prom- 
ises. Every one who has something to do in the 
present moment, may judge whether it be best to do 
it, or not. He who promises, takes on himself to do 
something in a future time. Where, and what will 
he be, and what will be his condition, at a future 
time ? A promise is not only a solemn engagement 
to do an act, at a future time, but it is an engage- 
ment, that all things shall be so, that he can do it. 
This is undertaking a great deal. How much 
needless suffering is there, from this thoughtless, 
and almost wanton undertaking ! All moralists 
agree in this, that every promise is to be performed 
in that sense in which the promiser understood it, 
and in which he authorized him, to whom the 
promise was made, to understand it. A promiser 

19 



200 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

voluntarily puts on fetters ; he agrees to wear them 
until a certain day. It behoves him to weigh well, 
before he puts them on, whether he can then take 
them off. Young persons are very ready to make 
promises. The kind feelings, and the sincerity, 
and the inexperience of early age, prompt them to 
promise. They know not, at that time of life, with 
what facility, present scenes disappear, and new 
ones take their places. Nor is it much otherwise, 
when other stages of life have come on. The evil 
of promising is, that when the day of performance 
arrives, either the inclination to perform is annihi- 
lated, or the ability to perform, if it ever existed, 
has been lost. The promiser must excuse, and ex- 
onerate himself as he can, or take the consequences. 
He runs the risk of losing his own self-respect, and 
of destroying his peace of mind. He runs still other 
risks ; he may draw on himself future and ruinous 
evil, in attempting to escape from a present and in- 
considerable one. 

289. There are promises, of less serious cast, 
into which many persons enter, from unpardonable 
weakness. They are solicited to make promises ; 
or some desire to be agreeable, or amiable to others, 
leads them to enter into engagements, which they 
find it disagreeable, or inconvenient to comply with. 
It would help such persons very much to know, 
that there is a monosyllable in the English lan- 
guage, very easily written, and more easily spoken, 
which would relieve them from all but a momenta- 
ry inconvenience. When one who solicits has, in 
answer, a firm and decided no, the burthen is on 
him, and the other party is entirely relieved. In 
some cases, this answer may be, and undoubtedly 
is, improperly given ; but in a great majority of 
cases, it is the proper one. Suppose one asks you 
to solicit of another a favor for him. Either you 
ought to do this on the principle of benevolence and 
duty, or not. Of this you are the judge ; the prop- 
osition is made to you, and you are to decide on it. 
It happens, that in your opinion, there is an objec- 
tion to your making the promise ; and it is weighty 






MORAL CLASS BOOK. 201 

enough, if you had the firmness to do what you 
know you ought to do, to call forth a decisive no. 
Which is best for you, to say no at once ; or to make 
a shuffling and evasive answer, leaving the appli- 
cant in doubt ; or a promise, which you do not 
mean to perform ? One thing may decide this ; 
the applicant will never tell that you refused him, 
if he had no right to your services, or you were 
justified in refusing them. Those who apply for 
favors never tell by whom they have been refused. 
It is immoral to promise any thing which you know 
you cannot perform \ far more so, to make a prom- 
ise, which at the very time of making it, you mean 
not to perform. 

290. The making of heedless promises, is not 
only a wrong done to one's-self, and to others, at 
the moment when they are made ; but they lead to 
strife, and lasting ill will, from the different under- 
standing which the parties have of them, when 
performance is called for. How often is heard in the 
world ; " Did you not promise me, this ? " u No ; 
I made no promise ; I only said I would promise, iff 
&c. Both parties may be very certain they are 
right ; though neither may be. Nevertheless, they 
insist on their own views, and the necessary conse- 
quence is, some sort of warfare. Promising cannot 
be called a light matter, in any case. In courts of 
equity it is held so serious, that the delinquent party 
is made to do that, which he promised to do. A 
promise is, in no respect different from an obligation 
to do an act instantly, excepting that the time in 
which it is to be done, is future. As no one knows, 
what intervening time may bring about, prudence 
to one's-self, and justice to the other party demand, 
that all promises should be made with such qualifi- 
cations as will lead neither party into difficulty. 
The most important, as well as the most insignifi- 
cant acts in life, may fall under the head of prom- 
ises. The making of promises, and the neglect or 
omission of performance, is a good index to worth, 
or worthlessness, of character. 

291. Justice and Injustice. Justice, is from the 



202 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

Latin, jus (right), and is a very comprehensive term, 
and stands opposed, physically, morally, intellectu- 
ally, and even religiously, to every motive and act 
which is wrong. In a more limited, and common 
acceptation it means, that conduct, and the motives 
to that conduct, which are right, or wrong, in the 
transactions of men. It, therefore, comprises all 
those acts which are cognizable in the administra- 
tion of civil government, as well as in the common 
intercourse of men, with which that administration 
has no concern. In this still more limited sense, 
(common intercourse), it is now to be noticed ; 
that is, in moral relations, as distinguished from 
those which are called legal. 

Every observer of what is going on in daily affairs, 
even in domestic life, and among children, must 
know, how frequently questions arise on the point, 
whether an act done, or intended, be just, or un- 
just. One frequently finds, that his common sense 
of right and wrong, is pleased or offended, because 
the scene, which he is witnessing, strikes him as 
right or wrong, or as being just or unjust. It seems 
to be expedient, then, to define the common appli- 
cation of these terms, since none are of more fre- 
quent occurrence. 

Justice is said, by a Roman moralist, to be " the 
mistress and queen of all the other virtues." The 
Roman (or civil) Law, (which is the foundation of 
the administration of justice throughout the conti- 
nent of Europe) defines Justice to be, "a constant 
and prevailing will or disposition to render to ev- 
ery man his due." Injustice is co-extensive. From 
these definitions it is apparent, that all acts which 
occur among men, of whatsoever degree of impor- 
tance, may deserve the character of just or unjust. 
Not only classes of men, learned or unlearned, but 
every individual of every class, has some percep- 
tion, that there are rules of conduct, which he 
knows, (however loose and undefined they may be) 
under the terms* of justice and injustice. Even 
children, in their sports, are constantly heard to 
say, that an act done, is fair or unfair, which is 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 203 

only another name for the same things. It is obvi- 
ous that the meaning given to just and unjust, must 
depend entirely on the persons using these terms, 
and the subjects to which they are applied. Thus 5 
it is said, that a legislative assembly has made an 
unjust law ; that a court of justice has pronounced 
an unjust judgment ; that a lady has treated a gen- 
tleman unjustly; that the chief of banditti has made 
an unjust division of the spoil. All such sayings 
show, that throughout the whole range of society 
there is a common-sense admission, that there is, 
for every case, some rule of right. It is, then, un- 
accountable, it may be said, that if every one refers 
to a rule of conduct, that there should be so much 
error of conduct, and so much contention as to the 
application of the rule. This is believed to arise 
entirely from the indistinctness of the rule of right, 
among a great majority of those who assume to 
know it ; and from ignorance of the true rule ; or 
from intentional breach of it, if known. In most 
cases where contentions arise, there are two things 
to be done by parties, who are, commonly, in a very 
unfit condition to do either of them ; the one is to 
make the rule for the occasion, and the other is, to 
apply it. This sort of law making is usually con- 
ducted by the opponents, with very little respect 
for each other's capacity to legislate ; and with 
much less inclination to accept, and apply the law, 
respectively, to the subject of controversy. 

292. It cannot be admitted, that mankind are 
condemned to such ignorance of their own means 
of social welfare ; and to a hopeless incapacity to 
improve their condition. Should we hear of, and 
experience in daily intercourse, controversies, dis- 
putes, and angry differences, if the " queen of all 
the virtues '■ were known among men, by means of 
early moral culture ? There is no risk in asserting, 
that all such evils are entirely of man's own mak- 
ing. He might be instructed, so as to know, how 
worthless the matters commonly are, on which such 
contentions arise, when taken as items in the great 
account of human life. Certainly, there must be 
19* 



204 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

found out some mode of educating the heart, as 
well as the head ; and of making- its spontaneous 
Sowings, the responses to every question, Is this 
just ? Is this unjust ? And why should the heart be 
so instructed ? Because the power so to instruct, 
has been given to man : — because so to instruct, 
and to act in obedience to instruction, conforms to 
the unchangeable law of nature ; because such con- 
formity, leads to earthly welfare ; and because that 
law, and that welfare, are consistent with rational 
conceptions of the Deity. 

293. The Late of Honor. We have read some se- 
vere remarks on Dr. Paley's notice of this law. 
(Mor. Phi. Book 1. Chap. 2.) He is considered 
therein, as stating " the rules of life to be. the law 
of'honor, the law of the land, and the scriptures." 
He must be understood to mean, what are the rales 
of life, not what they should be, because in the same 
short chapter, he condemns the operation of the law 
of honor. This law may be a very good rule of life, 
or a very bad one, according to the meaning which 
is given to it. The words, a man of Honor, may 
mean a gambler, duellist, and a contemner of many 
virtues. It may also mean, one who is conscien- 
tiously regardful of truth and justice. This is an 
instance, and a striking one, of the use of words, 
without a defined meaning, in consequence of the 
neglect of moral instruction in early life. No one 
who has been so instructed, and who carries the 
effect of such instruction into manhood, has any 
need of " the law of honor" as a rule of life. He 
will have far superior rules, and may prove himself 
to be honorable in the faithful observance of them. 
To show how absurd it is to regard u the law of 
honor" as a rule of life, without regard to morals, 
founded in the laws of nature, and the law of reli- 
gion, as the sanction of morals, it is only necessary 
to observe how various the law of honor is among 
different classes of persons ; and how different and 
contradictory it is, according to the subjects to 
which it is applied, as a rale. As there are many 
in the world, who have no other law, it may not be 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 205 

unprofitable to examine it, and attempt to know its 
value. 

294. The word honor, is said to be derived from 
the Hebrew word hon, signifying substance or 
wealth ; " which being the primitive source of es- 
teem among men, came at length to be put for the 
measure or standard of esteem, namely, what is 
good." Whatever may be thought of this deriva- 
tion, the same word is found, in several languages, 
though varied in each one. It was adopted into 
the English from the Latin, in which it is honos. It 
is supposed to mean the high estimation in which 
one is held ; and also the estimation in which one 
may hold himself. Honesty is from the Latin honestus, 
and that from honos. Honesty is usually applied to 
dealings among men in matters of property. Thus, 
one is said to be honest who affirms nothing, and 
who conceals nothing, for the purpose of misleading 
or deceiving any one with whom he deals*in order 
to benefit himself. One who declares an article to 
be of a value which he knows it is not ; or who 
contracts a debt knowing that he cannot pay it, 
is said to be dishonest. Uprightness, and honesty, 
are often confounded. An honest man may be si- 
lent, when no affirmation is asked of him, and 
when the party with whom he is dealing, under- 
takes to judge for himself. An upright man, does 
not limit himself to external acts, or merely to the 
use of the senses ; he refers himself to principle, 
and will neither do wrong himself, nor be in any 
way, even negatively, instrumental in permitting 
wrong or injury, to another. Whatever number of 
honest men there may be, in the world, the number 
of the upright, is much more limited. Honor, integ- 
rity, honesty, uprightness, and probity, are all 
founded in the universally admitted principle, that 
mankind ought to conduct themselves in such a 
manner, as to do no wrong to themselves or to 
others. But, the "law of honor " has a very dif- 
ferent meaning. It is referred to no standard of 
right and wrong, but that which individuals, and 
classes of individuals, set up for themselves. Such 



206 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

persons esteem themselves for doing certain acts, 
which no law of nature, society, or of religion en- 
joins, and which every one of these laws may pro- 
hibit. They esteem themselves for not doing cer- 
tain acts, which every one of these laws may 
enjoin. A thoughtless being who is entirely ig- 
norant of every principle of moral rectitude, and 
who habitually disregards, the principles of action, 
on which the welfare of society depends, and on 
which his own depends, makes up, or adopts, a 
code of laws, (he knows not by whose authority 
originated), and on these he founds his self-esteem, 
and claims respect from his fellow-men, because 
he does, or pretends, to observe them. He is ready, 
at the risk of his life, to revenge the slightest impu- 
tation, that he does not observe these laws. If 
any one impeaches his veracity, his honesty, his 
courage ; or objects to his words or deportment, 
whether^that which is said be true or false, an in- 
delible stain is fixed on him, which nothing but the 
blood of the offender can wash out. But, then this 
blood must be got at, by the law of honor, which 
is a violation of every other law known to man. 
This sensitive guardian of that for which he esteems 
himself, has certain privileges which no other men 
pretend to be right. He may be profane, a vain 
boaster, a dishonest debtor, a deceitful friend, a 
worthless son, a burthensome brother, a cruel hus- 
band, a heartless parent ; and the consumer of his 
substance at the tavern, and the gaming table, be- 
cause the law of honor prohibits none of these 
wrongs. But, if his fellow gambler should dare to 
intimate that he played false, or suggested an un- 
truth, as to any occurrence in the game, his honor 
is stained, and he cannot endure existence without 
satisfaction. Thus, men of Zionor, set up for them- 
selves certain rules of life, as various as their own 
particular classifications. In some parts of our own 
extensive country, there are laws of honor which 
are only heard of in other parts. They have this 
in common with other laws, that they constitute a 
rule ; of this rule there may be violations ; violation 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 207 

demands punishment. The offender is put on trial ; 
his judge is the offended party ; and the trial, the 
sentence, and the judgment, come in one and the 
same act, the blow of the assassin, if not of the 
murderer. The sensi-bility of a whole nation is, 
sometimes, shocked by the outrages of men of honor. 
Can any one doubt that these are the necessary 
consequences of defective moral education ; or 
rather, of having no moral education ? The root of 
this evil may be found in ignorance of the true pur- 
poses of life. Men come into society, with the ab- 
surd notion, that their own welfare depends on a 
set of rules to which reason, arid common sense, 
are irreconcilably opposed. If they think of moral 
law at all, they think this phantom of honor is it. 

295. Is there, then, no such thing as honor ? Cer- 
tainly, there is, and, in its true sense, it is the bright- 
est ornament of human life. The universal accep- 
tation of this meaning, excepting among u men of 
honor," is well known to imply the highest estima- 
tion in which any one man can be held by his fel- 
low men. He is a man of honor, who is true, and 
just to himself; who is true and just to his fellow- 
men ; and who knows, and who is obedient to the laws 
of his Creator. In this sense George Washington 
was a man of honor. The world's " men of honor" 
may admit, that Benedict Arnold was of their num- 
ber. If they decline this, real men of honor may be 
allowed to suppose, that he was as worthy, and 
well principled, as any of their fraternity. 

296. It sometimes happens, that " men of honor" 
find themselves in places of important trust, in the 
elective form of government, under which Americans 
live. They are, perhaps, members of legislative 
assemblies, and meet there men of the same school. 
A cc man of honor " in the fervency of debate, makes 
some remark, which some u man of honor " takes 
to be an intended reproach to himself. He de- 
mands, whether the " Honorable member " intends 
to have his remark understood to be a personal ap- 
plication to himself ? The Honorable member may 
have had no such intention. But being so interroga- 



208 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

ted, the "law of honor," which is the only law he 
ever had occasion to think of, forbids him frankly 
to answer, that he had no such intention ; because, 
this would imply, that he is deficient in courage, 
and is unwilling to be shot at. He must, therefore, 
reply, that the inquirer must judge for himself, of 
the application of the remark. This must be under- 
stood to be, an application of the remark to the 
inquirer ; who, thereupon, sends his " friend," to 
arrange with the "friend" of his foe, a " meeting." 
They meet, and some accident prevents the de- 
struction of the one, or the other, or of both, but 
the matter of "honor" is thereby adjusted, and 
both are "honorable " men : That is, both of them 
have manifested a willingness to be shot, which 
is enacting a complicated lie ; and without settling 
anything which may be supposed to have been in 
controversy. What a reproach is it to the morals 
of any country, that a man cannot say, that he in- 
tended no reproach to another ; or that he is sorry 
to have been unjust, if he has been so ! # 

* Washington was a man of ardent temper. He gave offence to a 
gentleman ; and in the interval, which would have been consumed for 
the arrangement of a challenge, the offended person received a request 
from Washington, that an interview might be had, at an appointed hour 
and place. The offended party attended accordingly, properly armed. 
Washington appeared unarmed. i( I came," said he, to acknowledge 
that " I did wrong, and to ask your pardon for my offence." Further 
to show that Washington was a man of honor, in the proper sense of that 
phrase, we extract from Ramsay's life of Washington, p. 237, (Chap. 
XIII.) the following ; — " He had religion without austerity ; dignity 
without pride ; modesty without diffidence ; courage without rashness ; 
politeness without affectation ; affability without familiarity. He was 
punctual in all his engagements ; upright and honest, in his dealings ; 
temperate in his enjoyments ; liberal and hospitable ; systematical, and 
methodical in all his arrangements. He was the friend of morality and 
religion ; a steady attendant on public worship ; he encouraged, and 
strengthened the hands of the clergy. In all public acts, he made the 
most respectful mention of Providence ; he carried the spirit of piety 
with him, in his private life, and public administration." 

Let " men of honor " compare themselves with this model ! 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 209 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

DUTIES. 

Actions which promote One's oxen good, whether affecting 
other persons j or not. 

PRUDENCE ; IMITATION. 

297. It has been shown, in former pages, that 
the system of being to which man belongs, is inces- 
santly acting. It seems to be a general law, that 
all sorts of being must act, and be acted upon, in 
their respective relations. So man, as part of that 
system, must be active and passive, throughout his 
life. Although there are some few animals that 
seem to act with reference to the future, as the bee, 
the ant, the beaver, the distinguishing quality of 
the human race is, to prepare for the future, or to 
foresee. 

In every stage of life, from year to year, and from 
day to day, all reasonable beings are doing acts, 
preparatory to some expected state of things. If 
one were entirely severed from his fellow-men, he 
would not be exempt from the duty of providing for 
the future ; but, dwelling in society, most of every 
one's actions have some reference to others, as well 
as to himself. Every considerate person conducts 
himself, in his affairs of business, pleasure, and all 
other employments, under the feeling, that he is to 
continue to act, and to be acted upon, as a member 
of society. Some persons consider themselves to 
be far-sighted in discerning the contingencies of the 
future, and are wise in preparing for them ; while 
others are indifferent, or careless, taxing themselves 
with no thoughts beyond the current events. 

298. It is self-evident, that such a being as man 
is shown to be, will essentially promote his own 
welfare by having rules of life for the government 
of himself, whether with regard to present, or ex- 
pected circumstances ; and whether circumstances 



210 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

be limited to himself only, or have reference also to 
others. The ancient moralists held thoughtfulness, 
and provision for the future to be virtues. They 
regarded prudence as the highest proof of ^wisdom. 
Plato calls this, the leading virtue ; and a Roman, 
whose verses are familiarly known at this day, has 
sung, that he who has prudence needs no other 
guide. 

299. Prudence, is from the Latin word prudentia, 
which is supposed to be derived from pro-videntia, 
meaning foresight. It implies knowledge of present 
facts, and sound judgment of what must, or can be 
made to follow, from present facts. If one fully 
understands his present condition, and can discern 
in what manner he shall act, so as to secure to him- 
self the greatest good in expected circumstances, he 
will act prudently. This virtue, prudence, is thus 
seen to have a very comprehensive meaning. One 
acts prudently in availing himself of the means of 
acquiring a good education ; in acquiring a good 
name ; in providing for means of supplying his 
wants ; in taking care of his health ; in keeping his 
conscience in such order as never to feel reluctant 
to commune with it. This virtue, contemplates 
human life as a whole, and respects all its known, 
contingent, and even possible events. It must have 
been so considered when called the leading virtue ; 
that virtue, which gives character to all other 
virtues. In common acceptation, prudence has a 
very limited meaning, and is dishonored thereby. 
A prudent man is commonly understood to be one, 
who is careful of his property, and who lives snugly 
within his means ; so that to be called, significantly 
prudent, is to be spoken of, reproachfully. A pru- 
dent man should rather be esteemed as eminently 
wise, and one should be called imprudent who per- 
mits the love of money to tarnish his fame. A per- 
son is sometimes called prudent, who forbears to 
speak of others. In this sense, prudence is restored 
to its proper place ; for it is not easy to see, how 
one can do himself any real good, in discoursing on 
the faults, follies and failings of others. The per- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 211 

son spoken of, may not be injured ; the party speak- 
ing, always is. 

300. The ancient philosophers comprised their 
wisdom in short maxims. To have made a wise 
maxim, was to acquire renown. Thus, in discours- 
ing on prudence, one of them shows his wisdom in 
uttering these precepts, " Begin nothing of ivhich you 
have not well considered the end." " Take care of irrevoca- 
ble deeds." Crito, one of the seven wise men of Greece, 
declared, that the highest human wisdom was that 
sagacity, which discerned in the present, that which 
the future would disclose. • 

301. Imitation. It is doubtful, whether this prin- 
ciple of action, has received all the consideration, 
and respect, to which it is entitled. It is supposed 
to be applicable to physical, intellectual, and moral 
being. In the first sense, it is supposed to apply 
to all animals. The word, imitation, is derived from 
the Latin, imito. A word is found in the Greek, 
which is compounded of two words, one of which 
signifies to mimic ; and the other signifies, alike ; and 
so compounded, they are said to mean, to do, or to 
make alike. There is something, like education, 
among the animals who are inferior to man. A 
bird may be naturally disposed to fly, when it is fit 
to leave the nest ; but it may depend on imitation, 
to carry the disposition into effect. The young of 
animals have an instinctive direction to the objects 
proper for them to pursue ; but they pursue these 
objects the more promptly, it may be presumed, on 
the principle of imitation. It seems reasonable to 
suppose, that the natural instinct is not so strong, 
and directory, of itself, as to put every animal infe- 
rior to man, in the proper pursuit, independently of 
this principle. However this may be, it is quite cer- 
tain, that among human beings, this principle has so 
powerful an influence, that the character of society 
is determined by it. Man was characterized, by an 
eminent Greek philosopher, as the 'imitative' animal. 

302. The very first teachings addressed to the 
infant mind, are invitations to imitate. The first 
responses to these invitations, are attempts to do 

20 



212 



MORAL CLASS BOOK, 



what the teacher proposes. If a child were left 
alone, from an early age, until advanced towards 
manhood, he would be destitute of language.. This 
is proved by certain accounts of persons, who hap- 
pened to be so placed, if these accounts are credible. 
It is also supposed, that the dumb are not defective 
in the organs of speech, but in the power of imita- 
tion. The acquirement of language is undoubtedly 
dependent on this faculty, as is clearly proved by 
those who attempt to learn, and to speak, another 
language, after attaining an adult age. It is proba- 
ble, that the loss of a language, learned in one coun- 
try? by going to another, in which it is not spoken, 
is not to be referred to the absence of habit, and 
the defect of memory only, but to the ceasing to 
imitate those who speak that language. Whether 
this be, right or wrong, is not very material to the 
main object, which is to show, the nature and con- 
sequences of imitation, in a moral view. 

303. It has been proved that every person has a na- 
tural propensity to action. In what manner, and to 
what end, he shall act, is suggested by nature. See- 
ing, as he necessarily does, other persons like him- 
self, acting in pursuance of these natural suggestions, 
he obeys the impulse to act, by doing or attempting 
to do, as they do. The operation of this principle is 
seen in every relation, from the cradle to the grave. 
It appears in matters of business, and amusement, in 
things serious, and in things trifling ; in armies, in 
schools, in work-shops, in legislative assemblies, in 
domestic life ; in short, in virtue and in vice, and 
in all that pertains to good or ill, in which man is 
an agent. This principle of action is frequently 
involuntary. It is a common observation, that a per- 
son who yawns, (or, as it is commonly called, gapes) 
will occasion a similar action in those who see and 
hear him. It is well known, that disagreeable mus- 
cular contortions, more particularly of the face, are 
frequently taken by one child from another, espe- 
cially in schools ; so, also, are disagreeable tones of 
voice, and peculiarities of articulation. One may. 

* See note at the end of the volume, on Casper Hauser. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 213 

sometimes, pronounce with certainty that a person 
who is heard to speak, for the first time, was edu- 
cated at a certain college ; or that he has been 
brought up in a certain part of the country. One 
may pronounce, also, with certainty, that entire 
strangers to him, belong to a fraternity, who enter- 
tain peculiar sentiments, on certain subjects ; they 
acquire a distinguishing mode of speaking ; especi- 
ally when the dominant sentiment is of a serious 
character. There are abundant opportunities, open 
to every intelligent observer, in this country, to 
prove that these things are so. All this is the con- 
sequence of imitation, though the persons who prove 
that it is so, may be, and probably are, entirely 
ignorant of it. 

304. There are instances of physical imitation 
which depend on some mental delusion. These, also, 
are involuntary. As when one of a number is so 
powerfully acted upon by the imagination, as to fall 
into some muscular convulsion, and others present, 
are affected in like manner. It is well authentica- 
ted, that females in the Royal Infirmary at Edin- 
burgh, who were affected by hysteric fits, occasioned 
the same infirmity in others. It is well known too, 
that in the poor-house at Haerlem, in Holland, 
some years ago, a girl, under some impression of 
terror, fell into a convulsive disease, which extend- 
ed, on the mere principle of imitation, to nearly all 
the boys and girls in the house. The celebrated 
Dr. Boerhaave put a stop to it, by preparing cer- 
tain irons, and having them made red hot in the 
presence of the children. He pronounced, with 
great solemnity, that every child who manifested 
any symptom of the disease, must be burnt to the 
bone, with one of these irons. There was no occa- 
sion to use them ; and the disease was no more 
known. In the year 1803, a species of St. Vitus's 
dance became epidemic, in one of the United States, 
on the s une principle. About the year 1784, a com- 
mission was instituted at Paris, to test a new sort 
of philosophy, then introduced, under the name of 
animal magnetism. It was traced to imitative sym- 






214 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

pathy, and exploded ; and has not been known, 
(we believe) within the present century. There 
are many well authenticated instances of involunta- 
ry imitation, extending through parishes, villages, 
and districts of country. They have been uniform- 
ly traced to some imaginary terror. There was an 
instance in the island of Anglesey, in 1796 ; and 
many in Scotland, towards the close of the last 
century. In general, this sort of imitative malady 
occurred among persons who had not received the 
benefit of any education ; it occurs only to such un- 
fortunate persons. It was never known to have 
happened among the instructed, and well informed. 
Such occurrences are now properly ranked among 
judicial astrology, trials by combat, and the delu- 
sions of witchcraft. They are marks standing forth 
in time gone-by, to show how reason, and good 
sense, have raised mankind above them. 

305. Manners, and fashions, are to be referred 
entirely to the principle of imitation ; in some in- 
stances, it is involuntary, but most frequently, 
intended, and sometimes with diligent effort. All 
persons, in small, closely connected communities, 
have manners, opinions, and modes, peculiar to 
themselves. Every village, school, factory, college, 
and town, has its own manners, and fashions. 
Wherever there is a collection of persons, in habit- 
ual intercourse, there must be imitation. If the 
qualities which are respectable in human society 
are derived from this principle, of which there can 
be no doubt, so, also, are the follies and vices of 
society. If a child had never heard any one swear 
profanely, it is incredible that he should invent pro- 
fanity. If one had never seen others take spirituous 
liquors, it is not to De supposed that he would do it. 
If one had never heard of others' wasting time ; 
health, and character, in places of low and infamous 
resort, it cannot be admitted, that the inclination 
to do such things, would naturally spring up in an 
uncontaminated mind. Thus it seems to us, that 
the sins, and follies, and depravities of the world, 
are rightly chargeable on those who are imitated, 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 215 

rather than on those who are imitators. This should 
be so, because the experienced have attained to a cer- 
tain maturity of age, and have arrived at some 
knowledge of the evil consequences of their deeds, 
and ought rather to warn the pure to shun their 
paths, than invite them to enter upon the like 
course. 

306. This notice of the principle of imitation has 
been thought expedient, as introductory to further 
notice of it, in its good and evil effects, in domestic 
life, and in the congregations of the young, and 
otherwise. The effect of imitation is very striking 
in families. Taking each individual of a family 
connexion by himself, great differences may be dis- 
cerned between him, and all others. Taking the 
whole together, traits are found to be common to 
all ; looks, muscular motion, expressions under 
strong excitement, and marked peculiarities, run 
through whole families. Though such things may 
be accounted for by laws belonging to physical be- 
ing, in some measure, yet the most important part 
of them, viz. the moral part, depends on the imita- 
tion. What can be more natural than that this 
should be so ? From the earliest age, after the 
senses are brought into use, all children are pushed 
onward by the impulse to act. They do as they 
see their seniors, and each other, do ; they speak 
as others speak ; they copy all that comes within 
their notice, good and bad ; they adopt the opin- 
ions, feelings, and thoughts of others, and modify 
these according to their own sphere of action. 
Thev must so conduct themselves, or do nothing 1 , 
for they cannot have a stock of motives growing up 
spontaneously, in their own minds. This provi- 
dential order to imitate, is like all others which 
come from the same authority ; most useful, wise, 
and benevolent ; and like all others, liable to mourn- 
ful perversion. If these views are right, it follows, 
that those who constitute a family, are under great 
responsibilities. The affection of parents for chil- 
dren, the dependence of the latter on the former, 
their daily and increasing intercourse, place chil- 
20* 






216 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

dren where they must be imitators. As parents 
are, (in their view,) superior to all other earthly 
beings, they are the proper persons to look up to, 
and to be copied ; and, in general, (right or wrong,) 
the attachment of fathers and mothers is, undoubt- 
edly, increased, by seeing themselves repeated in 
their offspring. 

307. The inferences to be drawn from these posi- 
tions are very obvious. If a parent would possess 
his child of a natural, comely and graceful bodily 
action*, he must, at least, not show, by his own ac- 
tion, that such things are of no consequence. If a 
parent would teach his child that he is to eat. to 
live ; and that he is not to live, to eat, he must 
demonstrate, by his own mode of life, what the 
true purpose of eating is. If he would teach his 
child that the digestive organs are given to perform 
a very necessary, and sober sort of business, at pro- 
per times, and in a proper manner, he must not 
show, by his manner of using his own, that he re- 
gards them as a mere place of deposit, for whatso- 
ever it may give him pleasure to pass into them. 
If a parent thinks that patience, and tranquillity, 
under disappointments ; gentleness of voice, and 
kindness of manner ; truth and fair dealing ; early 
rising and industry ; cheerfulness and thankfulness; 
and doing as one would have others do to him, are 
qualities which he would like to see in his children, 
he must not show, by the tenor of his own life, 
that he thinks them of no value. It is very easy 
to see, from observing the children of a family, 
what sort of parents they have, and what is the 
common course of conduct, within their walls, al- 
though one never saw the interior, nor the parents. 
There are exceptions which prove the rule. Some- 
times, children perceive and are shocked, at errors 
and follies in their parents. Thus one is not to sup- 
pose, that because a mother is a silly, gossiping fe- 
male, intermeddling with her neighbor's concerns, 
and is fruitful in malicious or pitiful commentaries, 
that her children will all be of the same cast. On 
the contrary, the children, from seeing such an 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 217 

evil example before them, may go to the extreme 
of prudence, and propriety, in managing 1 the tongue. 
So, also, if a child have an intemperate parent, he 
may not become so himself, but may acquire a hor- 
ror of the use of ardent spirits. 

308. It is almost too obvious, that the principle of 
imitation is a tyrannical one, in places of education, 
to require any remark upon it. It is very natural 
that instructers, who stand in a high relation to 
pupils, should be objects of imitation. If they hap- 
pen to have bad, as well as good qualities, it is to 
be expected that they will be imitated, in both. If 
the personal deportment, if the tones of voice, if 
the expressions of countenance, if the sentiments 
which are occasionally expressed, are of a dignified 
and estimable order, there will be some pupils who 
will be diligent imitators ; and those who cannot, 
or will not imitate, cannot withhold respect. 

309. The qualities which are strongly contrasted 
with such as have been mentioned, will certainly 
find imitators ; or they will engender feelings and 
opinions, which disqualify the youthful heart, and 
mind, for moral improvement. In all schools and 
colleges, there are, as there are in adult society, 
some individuals, who are the objects of imitation. 
How these persons act, and in what manner they 
act, are very interesting inquiries. Curiosity is in- 
satiable on such points. Whatsoever such proto- 
types do, is fit to be done by others, as they think. 

310. In almost every school, college, community, 
or association, there are some persons who are 
looked up to. These persons determine, (by what 
rule cannot be stated, certainly not by that of com- 
mon sense,) what shall be done, and how it shall 
be done. These persons, from impudent assump- 
tion, or by pretension founded on accidental cir- 
cumstances, or from some humiliating concession, 
are admitted to know what the fashion is ; and such 
persons are, consequently, to be imitated. No 
matter how absurd, or ridiculous, their course of 
conduct may be ; nor what violence they do to the 
laws of nature, or good sense, they, nevertheless. 










218 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

establish the law, and no one may dare to depart 
from it, without subjecting himself to the charge of 
vulgarity ; or what is worse, to that of being un- 
fashionable. With imitators, the question is not, 
what is becoming, proper, and really useful ; but, 
how does such a one, and such a one, do, in the 
proposed case. Now, it is most certain, that all 
persons who have this exaltation, whether assumed 
or conceded, are under a grave moral responsibility. 
They are bound, by the solemn laws of morality, so 
to conduct themselves, as to set no example of a 
degrading, and ruinous character to their imitators. 
Such persons are invested with an honorable trust. 
If they are important enough to make laws for oth- 
ers, they should make good ones ; they should make 
good ones for the highest and the strongest reasons : 
their laws are like those made in a republic ; they 
are for the government, not only of those who are 
to obey them, but, for those who make them. 



' CHAPTER XXXII. 

DUTIES. 

Same subject continued. 

civility; politeness; charity. 

311. As men must have intercourse with each 
other, there must be modes of having it. As in- 
tercourse implies acts, there may be good or bad 
modes of acting. As men are necessarily social, 
and imitative, good and bad modes may be common 
to many. As classes in society are distinguished 
from each other, and as men covet distinction, modes 
of acting, is one way, in which they try to get it. 
If elements be considered, there are more things com- 
mon to all classes, than are usually thought of. All 
civilized beings, eat, sleep, live in some building ; all 
are clad, all speak, and are spoken to ; all of them 
interchange property, labor, and services, or money 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 219 

as the representative of these ; all have associates, 
friends, kindred ; all are pleased and displeased ; 
and all have about the same degree of self-love, 
however variously manifested. All of them must 
act, and be acted upon, in these relations. That 
in which they are distinguished from each other 
lies in the materials of action and in the manner of 
it. There are some things which are precisely the 
same as to all these beings. They were all born, 
and they must all die. In the eye of their Creator, 
they are all equal, except so far as they have ren- 
dered themselves unworthy. They are all members 
of the same society, however differently they may 
be therein placed. They are all necessary to each 
other, for all of them must be counted in making up 
society. The inquiry is, in what manner these 
members of society, should conduct themselves 
towards each other, so that each one may secure to 
himself the greatest good, consistently with the 
rights of others. It will be said by some persons, 
perhaps, that if one do no wrong to another as to 
property, person, or character ; if he pay his debts ; 
perform his promises, and do not intermeddle in 
affairs wherein he has no concern ; he is a good 
sort of man ; and no more should be required of 
him. 

These things are a part, and only a part, of mor- 
al duty. The manner of doing, is as much a moral 
duty as to do. No small part of the convenience, 
comfort, and pleasure of life, depends on the manner. 
One may pay a debt, or perform a promise, fully, 
but may do it in a mode that will leave an impres- 
sion (never to be removed) that he is little better 
than a brute. Modes of acting, or manners are, 
therefore, proper subjects to be treated of, among 
moral duties ; because one's welfare is inseparably 
connected with these. 

312. Civility. The well-being of society would 
be greatly promoted, if the nature and use of this 
Christian virtue were more generally known. We 
take this to be, in personal intercourse, the observ- 
ance of the command, Do toothers as you would 



220 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

that others should do to you. The most rapid 
glance at any community, shows this : That some 
of its members are brought into contact in matters 
of business, necessarily ; others meet, incidentally, 
who have no particular connexion ; others meet for 
social purposes, in various forms ; and that there is 
a large proportion who know, of each other, very 
little beyond the fact, that they are of the same 
country ; and perhaps, not even that. There must 
be a best rule of deportment for all these classes ; and 
no one will deny, that if this rule were defined, and 
faithfully applied, there would be much more of 
every day comfort, and complacency in the world, 
than there is well known to be. Civility is the 
manifestation of kind feelings, and of a desire to do 
all things which should be done under the influence 
of such feelings, and in a becoming and agreeable 
manner. 

313. If every person understood the true founda- 
tion of society, the common origin of all its mem- 
bers, their .natural and necessary sympathies, their 
community of interests, their necessary action upon, 
and with each other, it might be supposed, that all 
who are reasonable, would be civil. They would 
be so, because they would promote their own good, 
because they would be doing what it is proper to 
do, to promote the good of others ; and because 
they would know, that in so doing, they would con- 
form to the design of their creation. We do not 
include under the term civility, the great duties of 
justice, acts of munificence, important personal ser- 
vices. These arise out of some special relation, which 
an individual bears to one or more other individu- 
als. It seems to be limited to the manner in which 
the common, or accidental intercourse of the mem- 
bers of society, in general, should be carried on. 
This matter may be better understood by some ex- 
amples. Thus, if one comes into the presence of 
another, as a beggar, servant, laborer, mechanic, 
trader, merchant, farmer, lawyer, physician, cler- 
gyman, or public officer; or if it be a female, or 
child of either sex ; there may be very various 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 221 

modes of receiving" these different persons. Yet, 
certainly, by every one of the laws, which we are 
endeavoring to illustrate, these several persons are 
entitled to civility. Even the beggar, perhaps one 
should rather say the beggar in particular, if not de 
formed by voluntary transgression, should be re- 
ceived with civility. That is, gentleness, kindness, 
decorum are to be observed relatively to each one. 
Why ? because no man can afford to be deemed in- 
sensible to the calls of reasonable humanity ; nor a 
stranger to the decencies of life; nor ignorant of 
what is due from him, nor to him, in any of his 
proper relations. 

314. We may find many illustrations, and fill ever 
so many pages with them. Let us take one which 
will concern the greatest number. In this country 
a stage-coach, and a steamboat, bring many persons 
into a small space, who may be utterly ignorant of 
each others existence, until they meet. They have 
a common object, that is, to be transported in the 
same vehicle, from the point of departure, to that 
of destination. Circumstances compel them to be 
very close to each other, and each one has the 
power of being very disagreeable to each one of the 
others, in a variety of well known modes. Let us 
suppose that each one consults merely his own in- 
terest, including in that, his own self-respect, the 
reasonable good will which each man desires from 
all others, and the ever present principle of doing 
as he would be done by. He shows that he is sen- 
sible of the presence of his fellow-men ; that he 
thinks them of sufficient consequence to wish to 
have their good opinion ; that he is attentive to 
their comfort, or convenience ; that he is disposed 
to learn something from them, or communicate 
something ; or to join with them in disposing of the 
time in which one has nothing to do, but to be car- 
ried. Take the other side of the picture ; — he puts 
himself in the best place ; takes out his cigar, lights 
it from a pocket apparatus, and goes to smoking, 
without asking who likes, or dislikes tobacco smoke; 
he sees no one, speaks to no one, and endeavors to 






222 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

hear no one ; if spoken to, he answers in a coarse 
monosyllable, and in a tone which prevents all fur- 
ther attempt at intercourse with him. If he make 
his presence known at all, beyond his sullen sitting 
there, it is by some selfish exclamation ; or con- 
temptuous ejaculation, on what is passing within 
his notice. Which of these two persons is civil ; 
which of them is making the most of human life ; 
which of them is attracting good will ; which of 
them ought to like himself the best ; which of them 
will have the most to look back upon, with pleas- 
ure ? Which of them is a rational, sensible, well- 
disposed human being, and which of them is a self- 
ish brute ? 

315. There is one other consideration which op- 
erates on all men, who have had much experience 
in the world. Men and things change, and take 
new and unexpected relations. Persons who have 
been long, and even intimately connected, suddenly, 
or gradually, sever ; persons who have known little 
of each other, and that little uninteresting or un- 
favorable, are brought in contact, by some unex- 
pected turn of affairs. Sometimes one needs favors, 
or at least good will, from those, whom he never 
thought to be of the least importance to him. In 
such, and in a multitude of other circumstances, 
one may find the advantages of having been ac- 
quainted with the virtue of civility. There are 
other cases, in which one is called on by duty to 
do things disagreeable to himself, and exceedingly 
so to others. But there is no good sense in perform- 
ing such duty morosely, and with inhumanity. As 
the laws now are, one may be authorized and re- 
quired to put another to death. There is no reason 
why even such an act as that should not be done 
civilly. 

316. Politeness. This word is derived from the 
Latin polio, to polish. The quality of politeness is 
one to which few persons attain, if the following 
definition of it (from a respectable writer) be a just 
one. " Politeness requires peculiar properties of 
the head and heart, natural and artificial ; much 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 223 

goodness and gentleness of character, an even cur- 
rent of feelings, quickness and refined delicacy of 
sentiment, a command of temper, a general insight 
into men and manners, and a thorough acquaint- 
ance with the forms of society." This is a quality, 
nevertheless, which most persons consider them- 
selves as having in a high degree. This may be 
supposed to arise from a misapplication of terms. 
It may be useful to consider politeness as it may be, 
and as, too generally, it is. If real politeness be 
that manner, which a high degree of intellectual 
and moral education, and familiar intercourse in so- 
ciety, composed of persons who have been so edu- 
cated, would necessarily create, it is, probably, a 
rare quality in the world. But one often sees an 
approximation towards it ; and many pretensions to 
it. In its true meaning it is said to be, such con- 
duct as is, at the same time, consistent with a re- 
fined sense of duty to one's-self, and to all other 
persons ; and the like sense of what is due from 
others to one's-self. It scrupulously avoids all of- 
fence to the feelings of others ; and is ever ready 
to prefer the convenience, comfort, and welfare of 
others, to one's own. It is ready to acknowledge 
all just merit, and is reluctant to admit that the er- 
rors and mistakes of others are perceived. It is 
kind, gentle, unobtrusive, delicate; and, conse- 
quently, wounds no one's selfrlove by bringing good 
qualities into comparison with inferior ones. It 
forbids every act which implies disrespect for oth- 
ers ; and all deportment which may be offensive to 
the senses, and even to the most refined delicacy of 
others. Real politeness, or refinement, approaches 
very near to the true spirit of Christianity. If all 
those who have had the advantage of a refined, and 
highly polished education, were sincerely to do and 
to feel towards all others, as they would have all 
others do and feel towards them, they would justly 
be called polite. It is not surprizing that so estima- 
ble a quality in human character, should have called 
into being many counterfeits, and many pitiful imi- 
tations. The ordinary politeness of the world is 
21 



224 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

made up of counterfeits and imitations. If one 
could describe such sort of politeness as it deserves 
to be described, it would appear, at the same time, 
ludicrous and contemptible. Whosoever has sa- 
gacity enough to discern how many false and hol- 
low pretensions pass under the name of politeness, 
will be prompt to admit, that the remedy for these 
perversions is the teaching of the true principles of 
morality. 

317. Charity. There are many meanings of this 
word. It is used to signify the act of giving alms ; 
to describe acts done for the relief of the indigent 
and the suffering ; and institutions of a public char- 
acter, wherein the sick, the insane, and the poor, 
are taken care of; and also institutions for educa- 
tion of the young of both sexes. These beneficent 
objects are effected, sometimes by the appropriation 
of money from the public treasury, but more com- 
monly by donations of individuals by will, or by 
voluntary subscriptions. It is not in either of the 
aforegoing meanings that charity is now to be treat- 
ed of ; but as a moral sentiment, active in the heart 
of each individual, as a rule of life. A sentiment to 
be developed and cherished, for the good of him 
who feels it, and for the good of those for whom it 
is felt. As it can be demonstrated that every mem- 
ber of society will greatly promote his own welfare, 
and may conduct himself uprightly, and justly to- 
wards others, by applying this rule of life, (charity,) 
in a great proportion of all the acts he does, it may 
be useful to search out the true principle of charity 
in aid of such demonstration. This is the more 
necessary to be done, because there is no injunction 
in the whole code of Christianity more sternly in- 
sisted upon, than the duty of being charitable. 

318. The word charity, is from the Latin charitas ; 
and this from caritas ; originally meaning dear, or 
scarce, from cams ; and also meaning precious. But 
it has long been used in the sense before mentioned ; 
and in the sense now intended, it was used by one 
of the earliest Christians. 

* 1 Epis. to Corin. ch. xiii. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 225 

Let it be remembered, here, how each individual 
is constituted. He comes into the world with senses, 
and with intellectual and moral qualities, which are 
to be developed in the action of life. Suppose him 
to have attained to manhood, his senses, his mind, 
and his moral qualities have undergone some disci- 
pline or education, according to the circumstances 
in which he has been placed. He has been neces- 
sarily using his own senses and his own mind, for 
he cannot use those of another. He has seen, 
heard, thought, and acted, according to his own 
peculiar condition. He may have imitated others ; 
he may have been influenced, and even governed 
by others, but it must have been through his own 
senses, and his own mind. Then, consider how 
very various, and even contrasted, the condition of 
the people may be who inhabit the same city, town, 
or village. How few of them see the same objects 
in the same light ; and how small a number see the 
same objects at all. This one, for example, is a 
farmer ; his life has been devoted to his pursuits. 
All his active powers have been, at times, devoted 
thereto ; at other times, to the duties of neighbor- 
hood, citizenship, and religion, according to his 
peculiar views. This one is a merchant ; he has 
devoted his active powers, to mercantile pursuits. 
He has also duties of a similar nature with the far- 
mer, but he is not of the same party in political 
opinions, in religious belief, nor in his views of 
mankind. A third person is called on to judge of 
these two persons. But his vocations have been 
those of a student in some profession, and he may 
differ from both the others in every one of the theo- 
ries, and principles, which they hold to be settled; 
and each of these, consequently, differ from him. 
Yet, each of these assume to pronounce, of the other 
two, that they are wrong. Then extend the same 
sort of comparison through all the grades of life ; 
and consider how each individual is made up, by 
the use of his senses, and mind, in the circuit in 
which he has been acting, and judge whether it be 
reasonable, for any one person, to pronounce an 



226 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

authoritative judgment upon all others, as to intel- 
lectual and moral conduct. When any one is proved 
to have violated some universally acknowledged 
moral principle, or to have offended against some 
law of the land, there is no possibility of doubting 
as to the judgment which is to be formed. 

319. It is not in such things that one is to be 
blamed for the want of charity ; but it is in thinking, 
and speaking reproachfully, of the conduct, motives, 
and manners of others, who show themselves to 
their fellow men, in the qualities which have been 
acquired in their special condition. In so thinking 
and speaking reproach is implied, as to one's intelli- 
gence ; as to one's respect for moral duties ; as to 
the soundness of one's religious faith, and practice ; 
or as to one's intregrity, and fair dealing. All 
this proceeds on the supposition, that he who con- 
demns has himself the intelligence, and the capa- 
city to judge ; and that he has all the facts on 
which a judgment can be formed. But, what are 
his own intelligence and capacity to judge : and 
what has he been doing with his own senses and 
mind in his own sphere of action, all his life time, 
so that he can pronounce on the precise degree of 
error into which another has fallen ? What would 
be his condition if others pronounced, with like 
audacity, on his intelligence, motives, conduct, and 
capacity ? That which is still more to the purpose 
is this : He can make no judgment, just or unjust, 
without facts ; and where and of whom did he get 
these ? Did he use his own senses, and his own 
mind, on the subject of his judgment ; or did he get 
his knowledge of facts from those who did, them- 
selves, observe ; or only from those who have heard, 
through one knoivs not how many traditions, that which 
is taken to be true. 

320. Stop any one who is pronouncing one of these 
off-hand judgments on his neighbor, with the ques- 
tion, " Where did you get your facts'?" and what would 
the answer probably be ? " I heard so, but I forget 
who told me; every body says so ." Now, advert to 
what is every one's experience, nay to what is done 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 227 

by almost every body. Some fragment of a story 
is told, it is adorned by the malice of the narrator ; 
or it is only adorned for the purpose of being* news. 
It is passed from memory to memory, and from 
tongue to tongue, with all the falacies and errors 
which belong to memory, and to the use of words ; 
and thus, those who pronounce on the reputation of 
others, arrive at facts. Should not one hesitate, out 
of respect to himself, if he have no respect for the 
person spoken of, before he pledges his own repu- 
tation for the truth of what he asserts? Ought he 
not first to ask himself, am I rightly informed ? Did 
I see and understand truly? Did my informant, 
and his informant, and so on, knoio that what is said, 
is true ? Did they hear truly, did they remember 
truly, are they understood as they intended to be? 
If I am not sure in all this, can I take on myself, as 
a moral, rational being, to give my own assurance, 
that these things are true ? 

321. But, admit that the facts are known, and 
that the person of whom they are affirmed is such 
an one as the facts imply ; is he not such an one 
from the circumstances in which he has been placed; 
and from the use of his senses, and mind, in his 
own sphere of action ? No doubt he may differ 
from you ; and you may say that had you been in 
his place, you could not have done so. This may 
be true ; but then no one can be in another's place. 
Each one must think and act according to his own 
perceptions. For example, you see that one is 
very rich, and very mean ; or very selfish. You 
are indignant. You reproach him with meanness 
or selfishness. Why ? Because, if you were rich, 
as you know him to be, you could not be so mean, 
nor so selfish. You would live hospitably ; you 
would give to the poor ; you would use your money 
so as to command respect and esteem, and purchase 
for yourself a good name. Perhaps you would ; 
you think you would. But suppose you had been 
in that man's sphere of action, and had acquired 
notions of the value of money just as he did, you 
would act as he does, and be like him, a subject of 
21* 






228 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

reproach to all who reason as you do. You may 
rather pity this man, that he is not as well informed 
as you are in the use of money. Or, he may de- 
serve your compassion for having perverted a ra- 
tional principle of action, by long continued practice, 
which has become inveterate habit. But this 
same person dares to judge of you. He dislikes 
your manners, your political or religious principles ; 
he holds you in contempt for your ignorance of the 
value of money. Were you right, and this person 
also, right, in your respective judgments? — The 
moral law says that both of you are wrong. It says, 
that both of you have violated the law of charity. 
By the same law, perhaps, both of you are wrong, 
not from intention, but from ignorance. Him of 
whom you judged may be wrong in his value of 
money ; most unfortunately wrong for himself, and 
for others ; but he knows it not. Neither do you 
know, how much you err in those things whereof 
you are judged. What then is your duty ? Is it 
not to be charitable to the faults and failings of 
others, that others may have charity for you ? 






CHAPTER XXXIIL 

Same subject continued. 

gentleness; trifles; peace of mind ; happiness. 

322. Gentleness. This is an element in civility, 
politeness, and charity, so truly important that it 
deserves a special notice. It is manifested in num- 
berless modes, when one is active, and when one is 
passive. It is a most precious quality among those 
who must pass their time in each other's society. 
Gentleness is exhibited in moderation of speaking, 
and in the tones of voice. There is an indescriba- 
ble charm in a gentle sweet-toned voice, especially 
in the female sex. So, a loud, boisterous, and rap- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 229 

id tone, always indicates a vulgar mind, and an un- 
disciplined heart. There are persons in society, 
who have received a good education, who are of 
good intentions, and who are of unimpeachable 
morals, who are positively disagreeable, and who 
do not pass for half their worth, merely from their 
peculiar tones of voice. This wonderful gift of 
speech, has some unknown connexion with the in- 
tellectual and moral pow r ers. No well disciplined 
moral being, can have a really disagreeable voice. 
The cultivation of the mind, and the softening of 
the heart to human sympathies, must produce a 
gentleness in the expression of the sentiments which 
flow from the heart. The connexion between a 
pleasing voice, and a good heart, is well worth a 
philosophical inquiry. Young persons can easily 
institute such inquiry by critical examination of 
themselves, and their associates. 

323. Gentleness is also manifested in personal de- 
portment. There is a collected, calm, respectful de- 
meanor, which is grateful to every member of the 
human family ; and the strict observance of which, 
in each one, would be an easy and sure mode of 
promoting every one's welfare. There is hardly 
any act, however insignificant in daily life, to which 
gentleness cannot impart its charm. One cause of 
disagreeableness in society, (whether it be known 
or unknown as the cause) is the disregard of the 
truly christian virtue of gentleness. This may be 
verified by looking into family circles. The mem- 
bers of these are dependent for daily comfort on this 
virtue. Yet it is often seen to be an article, 
which is to be brought out only for the use of com- 
pany ; or, like a best garment, only to be exhibited 
abroad. If civility, politeness, and gentleness are 
good qualities for use, among any persons, they 
must be especially so with those who must dwell 
together, and who are bound by ties of nature, and 
of social law, which cannot be severed. Can any 
reason be given why persons, so connected, should 
use harsh expressions, set up contradictory opin- 
ions, and in the most insignificant matters ? The 



230 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

absence of gentleness among children, and especial- 
ly members of the same family, is a reproach to the 
moral education of the country. If any one will 
take the trouble to consider what this quality is, 
and then to examine, critically, where and when it 
appears, he will be surprised to find how rare a 
virtue it is. Those who are so placed in society as 
to see a great number of persons, and under various 
circumstances, often acquire a discriminating tact 
as to character, from one's personal appearance, 
manner of deportment, and tones of voice. All 
persons who are met with, for the first time, are 
submitted to the scrutiny of the eye, and of the ear, 
which may be called the organs of the two intellect- 
ual senses. Let any one examine into the cause of 
his being pleased or displeased, at such interview, 
and he will certainly find that the first impression 
arose, from the presence, or absence, of gentleness. 
It may be taken as an unquestionable truth, that a 
person of sound mind, disciplined heart, and good 
education, is always unaffectedly gentle ; and that 
whatsoever respect he may think himself entitled 
to, he never fails to manifest the respect due to all 
others. 

324. Trifles. There are a great many trifles in 
this life, when considered as a whole. It is a com- 
mon failing to magnify them into serious matters. 
It would be perhaps, descending, rather too much, 
to particularize them. They may relate to dress, 
food, vis-tings, insignificant purchases, management 
of children, treatment of, and remarks upon domes- 
tics ; and a multitude of little matters on which dif- 
ference of opinion arises. Now, it is not of the 
least possible consequence, in the long run, wheth- 
er the matter be disposed of in one way or another, 
if no moral duty be broken. Tomorrow, or soon, it 
will be so thought of. Yet a sudden observation, 
in an ungentle voice, will produce an irritating re- 
ply, and this a severe rejoinder, and presently, the 
affair 

* Resembles ocean, into tempest wrought, 
To waft a feather, or to drown a fly.' 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 231 

This ungentleness has a mournful effect on the 
character of children, when exhibited in parents. 
It is wholly useless, and worse than useless in as- 
serting authority. It can only be classed among 
those sad mistakes which tend to make this a mis- 
erable world. How can any two rational beings, 
who must live in familiar intercourse, while they 
do live, so misapprehend the purposes of life, as 
habitually to torment each other on insignificant 
trifles ! If any one should be unhappily betrayed 
into an unbecoming expression, silence best be- 
comes those who hear it. If the case is of impor- 
tance enough to need authorities, some may easily 
be found by all who can read.* 

325. Peace of mind. Many persons pass much of 
their time in a state of inquietude, and constant ir- 
ritation, although they are in health, and have the 
means of satisfying the common w r ants of life, and 
even abundantly. As to the present — they have 
some unreasonable desire, which cannot be satisfi- 
ed ; or which cannot be, without causing a suffering 
more intolerable than the unsatisfied desire. As to 
the past— they dwell on the memory of some good 
which they think might have been obtained ; or on 
some wrong or blunder, by which some good was 
lost. As to the future — they dr^ad some possible 
evil, and the more because of the uncertainty of its 
nature, and of the lime and manner of its coming, 
and which may never come. There are many per- 
sons who are habitually discontented. They find 
every thing goes wrong. The weather is bad ; their 
food is not as they would have it ; no one does any 
thing in the right time, or right manner ; or that is 
done which should not be, or that is omitted, which 
should be done. Such persons are always groan- 
ing, sighing, or grumbling. They dislike every 
body, and every body dislikes them ; and particu- 
larly, their abundant advice is disliked, and their 
manner of giving it. There are great differences in 

* Ecclesiastes x, 12, 13. Proverbs iv. 24. — xii. 18. — xiv. 29. — xv. 
1.— xvi. 32.— xviii. 19. — xxi. 19, 23. Romans xii. 10, 18, 21.— xvi. 13, 
*— xv. 1. 



232 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

the temperament, and natural dispositions of per- 
sons. It is incredible, that the worst tempered per- 
sons would not make a better whole of life, by sup- 
pressing their natural propensities, and acquiring a 
control over themselves ; and teaching themselves 
to look out for what may be pleasant and agreeable, 
(passing by that which seems ill to them,) instead 
of doing exactly the reverse. 

326. There are other persons, who are of unquiet 
mind for more serious causes. They have recol- 
lections which distress or torment them. They are 
transgressors, perhaps, criminally so. They have 
been able to conceal this, but they live in the fear 
of disclosure ; at any rate, the fact cannot be hidden 
from themselves. They forgot, when they sinned, 
that there is one being in whose society they must 
ever be, and which will sometimes announce its 
presence, even when they would hide themselves in 
sleep. These are frightful instances of the agency 
of this companion which every man has in his own 
bosom. There are hours in every one's life, when 
he must compare the condition in which he is, with 
that in which he thinks he might have been. To 
some persons, these are hours of pain and sorrow. 
It is believed that such cause of suffering is purely of 
human origin ; and that prevention must be found 
where the error began. It is the law of the Deity, 
that there shall be such suffering, when the guilty 
mortal makes it necessary to apply that law. 

327. There are cases in life, in which, it is said, 
there must be anxiety, and inquietude, from the 
very condition in which men are placed. Persons 
who sustain public offices ; persons who are placed 
in important trusts ; persons whose vocations are 
perilous ; those who are pricked by the thorn of po- 
litical ambition. It is probable, that such persons 
do experience many painful and distressing emo- 
tions ; and that they sometimes pay dearly for their 
distinction. But it is demonstrable that even such 
persons, might have tranquillity, if they had a right 
frame of mind. There are persons who substitute 
an aching solicitude, for the reasonable discretion 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 233 

and care, which is all that is required in the perform- 
ance of duty. There are others who greatly over- 
value the distinctions to which they attain, or as- 
pire ; and very few of them realize, that they must 
take success, especially in popular governments, 
with the accompaniments of having their worthy 
acts misunderstood, and reproached ; and their mis- 
taken ones magnified, and distorted, to suit the occa- 
sions of adversaries. 

328. The remedy for this sort of suffering is with- 
in every one's power. Those who are poor, and 
in humble life, if not in extreme poverty, may pos- 
sess peace of mind ; and it is of easier acquisition 
by these, than by those who are involved in the 
duties of office, and the responsibility of trust, and 
the embarrassment of wealth. Certainly, without 
this treasure, no earthly grandeur, no promise of 
posthumous glory, is worth having, or seeking for. 
If the laws of nature, and the teaching of revelation 
were properly known, respected, and obeyed, the 
common causes of inquietude would hardly be 
known. For example, what is more common than 
complaints of the weather ? — It is too hot, or cold, 
wet or dry. It is not nature that mistakes about 
the weather, but ourselves. The movements of 
the winds, and the waters, and the temperament of 
both, proceed on some great and universal laws, far 
beyond human perception. That which is exacted ol 
us is, to believe that it is so ; and to adapt ourselves 
to necessary condition, by experience and ingenuity. 
What sort of effect would it produce in the earth, if 
such things were regulated by human perception 
of what is best ? When one has occasion to put to 
use, a board, or stick of timber, which has been in 
contact with the ground for a certain length of time, 
he disturbs, and puts to flight, families, communi- 
ties, and whole nations of living beings. Man may 
be much in the same relation, as to general laws, 
(not meant for him to comprehend,) in which these 
insects are, on the removal of their covering. 

329. As to all causes of inquietude arising from 
the operation of nature's laws, in which human 



234 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

agency has no concern, they must be right, although 
they occasion inconvenience to individuals. As to 
the acts and omissions of others which affect us, 
some questions are to be asked and answered, be- 
fore one can rightly judge of these ; — viz. what is 
the real cause of our complaint ? did not the first 
fault arise from some act, or omission of our own ? 
Do we judge reasonably of the supposed wrong ? 
Do we make charitable allowance for the misappre- 
hension, which may affect the party complained of? 
When the inquietude arises from our own wayward 
and peevish disposition, from our own misconduct, 
negligence, or breach of laws, which we could 
know if we would, the remedy lies in becoming 
wiser and better ; and more reasonable in learning 
how we may make of life, that which it was in- 
tended to be, when we use it as we should. Let 
any reasonable being look back on his own life, and 
calmly consider the causes of his own contentions, 
ill-will, and sufferings, in body and mind ; how 
many of these can he fairly lay to the blame of the 
Creator's laws, of Nature's laws, or those of society, 
whether positive or implied ? If to these he can 
charge but very few, who but himself is there, to 
take the residue ? 

330. We have been trying to show what peace 
of mind is not. We have to show what it is, or 
rather in what it is founded. It comes from sober 
conviction, that the Creator has made his own 
laws, for his own universe ; that he requires con- 
formity to these laws, that he permits, and enjoins, 
the use of what is good and right ; that he punishes 
all that is wrong and disobedient. He has trusted 
every mortal with his own welfare,but has associated 
him with others, who live in the same trust, each one 
for his own, but yet for mutual welfare. All are to con- 
tribute their common efforts to the common good. 
Those who have the means, are to aid others in ac- 
quiring a knowledge of the laws which are common 
to all. If these laws were understood and applied, 
how abundantly would peace of mind increase in the 
world. The school-boy would get his lessons and 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 235 

obey his preceptor ; laboring classes would labor 
diligently, live temperately, and find a greater pleas- 
ure in their frugal food, than the luxurious in their 
festivals ; for the former live as nature orders, the 
latter as fashion dictates. The opulent and luxuri- 
ous would learn, that the incidents of their fortune, 
do not exempt them from the laws of nature. That 
if they have affluence beyond their reasonable and 
commendable wants, they are blessed with the 
means of acquiring an honorable name ; they would 
learn that no wealth will exempt any man from 
earning, by physical motion, an appetite for his 
pleasures ; that if he is tired of being rich and hap- 
py, he must work to accomplish some reasonable pur- 
pose. His distinction is, that he may choose the 
means in which he will expend, to be busy, while 
others can only work in some prescribed mode s to 
live, 

331. The middle classes, and all who are not de- 
pendantly poor, have as many, and as valuable 
sources of enjoyment as those have, whom they 
think to be better off than themselves. They can 
love and be loved. They can be respected and es- 
teemed. They can have the consciousness of be- 
having well, where their lot has been cast. They 
have a far keener zest for natural and reasonable 
pleasure, than those who misuse the bounties of 
accidental condition. They can have peace of 
mind, when it is denied to those, whom they deem 
to be more fortunate. If these natural laws, which 
seem to be so plain and obvious, were understood 
and respected, the laborers in mind in all their varied 
employments, would do diligently in the best man- 
ner, that which they have undertaken. Men in 
public trust, would do justly that which they have 
assumed to do. 

Suppose it were all so, and yet that disappoint- 
ments and troubles should come, this would not 
destroy peace of mind. If every one felt that no 
act, nor omission of his own, is the cause of suffer- 
ing, and that he has acted faithfully and justly, to 
the best of his ability, in the circumstances in which 
22 






236 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

he was placed, he would be entitled to have peace 
of mind. 

332. Happiness. There is no word in our lan- 
guage more commonly used ; nor any one less de- 
fined, or less understood. It is sometimes taken to 
mean pleasurable sensations derived through the 
senses ; sometimes it means a peculiar state of 
mind. It may be said that a pirate, who has been 
brought to the most perfect penitence, and who is 
sensible that he has forfeited his life to the demands 
of justice, and that he is about to be transferred 
from the perplexities and sufferings of this state of 
being, to endless felicity, is happy that he is going 
to be hanged. Perhaps it is easier to tell what hap- 
piness is not, than what it is. The most perfect 
health is not happiness, unless one has something to 
do. Health, and nc/tes, do not make one happy. 
These accidents of being, rather excite cravings for 
enjoyment. They are means, not ends. A rich 
man can ride but one horse, sit but in one coach, 
eat but one dinner, wear but one suit of garments, 
live but in one house, at a time. Persons in moder- 
ate circumstances can do as much. 

333. Health, riches, power and distinction do not 
make happiness. Distinction is troublesome ; it has 
more pains than pleasures, It is jealous, envious, 
and distrustful. Power does not make one happy. 
It demands the most busy watchfulness to keep it. 
If lost, its absence is often followed by painful suf- 
fering ; and the possession of it, is always accom- 
panied with the fear of losing it. Riches are some- 
times regarded as means of enabling one to live in 
elegant luxury, and even in voluptuous enjoyment. 
This is no way to be happy. The appetites soon 
become satiated. The stomach wears out. The 
senses are palled. Diseases come. The body may 
be racked on a velvet couch, as well as on a straw 
bed. Is there, then, any such thing as happiness ? 
There must be such a thing, or the laws of nature, 
which provide for physical, intellectual, and moral 
being, are false and deceitful ; and the gift of reve- 
lation is a fable. If there be such a thing as hap- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 237 

piness, it will be found in that knowledge of, and 
obedience to, the laws of nature, which make health. 
It will be found in obeying the propensity to action, 
to some prospective and useful end : that is, in pur- 
suing reasonably, some one of the many vocations 
in society, which tend to secure one's own self-re- 
spect, and peace of mind ; and which tend also, to the 
common good. But, there may be disappointments, 
ill luck, and causes of mortification and sorrow. 
These, we apprehend, do not seriously disturb any 
well regulated mind, when there is a conscious- 
ness, that no reasonable foresight, or prudence, 
would have discerned, and prevented the cause. 
Finally, one may feel assured, that if he so live as 
to be healthy ; so use his time as to be reasonably 
busy, to some good purpose ; and so conduct him- 
self as to be justly entitled to his own approbation ; 
and if he live in the habitual assurance, that there 
is an omnipresent, omniscient, and merciful Judge 
of moral, accountable, and immortal man, he will 
certainly be happy. Are. such things impossible, 
or impracticable ? Who nas made a serious effort 
to obtain such happiness, and has been unsuccess- 
ful ? 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

DUTIES. 

Acts which ought to be done, as well for One's-self as others, 
because they are pleasant and useful. 

RECREATIONS AND AMUSEMENTS. 

334. We have had occasion to show repeatedly, 
in preceding pages, that this state of being is one 
of alternate action, and repose. There must be 
serious action, and there must be amusements. It 
was intended that mortals should be pleased, and 
happy, if they deserve to be so. Those who main- 
tain that life is to be an uninterrupted scene of labor, 






238 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

and gravity, are entirely mistaken. There is 
nothing in the natural world, nor in man's peculiar 
constitution, nor relations, which gives the least 
countenance to such an opinion. Amusement, like 
everything else, in which free agency is concerned, 
may be innocent, and grateful ; or improper, perni- 
cious, and introductory of the worst of evils. 
Young persons must have the former, or they will 
seek out the latter. It is the duty, and the interest 
of parents, to lead children to take pleasure in such 
things as can be approved of ; and to divert children 
from such as must be injurious to them, and afflic- 
tive to those who are deeply interested in them. 

There may be persons, and classes of persons, 
who may not assent to the opinions here expressed, 
on the subject of recreations and amusements. To 
all such persons the utmost respect is due, because 
they are very sincere and decided, in their views. 
Yet, on a matter so important as the making of good 
citizens, and good moral agents out of children, one 
should not hesitate to speak frankly and sincerely. 
If wrong, persons better able to judge, will take 
care that no evil visit them, in consequence of such 
error. 

335. Amusements are physical, or mental. It 
may be more proper to say that there may be, first: 
amusements which are intellectual ; and second : 
such as consist of some bodily motion, in which the 
mind is, more or less, interested. If there be such 
distinctions, athletic sports may be of the second sort. 
The simple use of the eye, of the ear, and of the 
imagination, may be of the first sort. It is believed, 
that all amusements must have some contemplated 
end, or result, whether that be defined and certain, 
or contingent. It is believed to be so, because 
everything in this world seems to be moving on, to 
some purpose. One who is acting without knowing 
for what, is neither laboring, not amusing himself, 
but is trving to get rid of himself, and of time. The 
most captivating sports are those which are contin- 
gent : that is, sports or occupations, wherein the 
result may be highly favorable, or otherwise. No 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 239 

one engages in them without expecting to come out 
on the successful side. Hence hunting, fishing, 
winning or losing sports, horse racing, and gaming, 
are of this order. The hope of success is a very 
high excitement. But, the mortification and dis- 
tress of failure, ever far exceed the pleasures of 
success. The object now in view is merely to find 
a principle, and by no means to approve of some 
things which have been named ; that principle we 
take to be, action to some end, or purpose. 

336. Every one admits that the mind, and moral 
faculties, are to be developed, and strengthened, 
and made to do the best, by exercise. This is 
equally true of physical power. Every action, 
which it can be proper to do at all, ought to be 
done in the best way ; otherwise the end of being 
is not answered. In the vegetable, and animal 
departments, all proper care, and cultivation, tend 
to use, and beauty. Is there any reason why the 
physical powers of man, should not have care, and 
cultivation, to the same ends ? Those who prefer 
a stooping, lounging, awkward, graceless figure 
and motion, may be on one side of the question ; 
those who think that it was intended that man 
should be an upright, easy, frank, comely, and 
convenient being to himself, and pleasant to all 
within whose observation he may come, will be on 
the other. As we most decidedly agree with the 
latter class, we shall try to show in what ways we 
think their object may be effected. 

337. There are many persons who think it is un- 
lawful to bear arms. It is very much to be desired 
that all the world were of their opinion. But since 
that opinion is not likely soon to become the gener- 
al one, we may borrow, from the profession of arms, 
an illustration much to the purpose. The object of 
disciplining men with arms, is to make them, indi- 
vidually, and collectively, as powerful, and effective, 
as possible. There has been but one opinion 
among military men, from earliest ages to the 
present, that soldiers must be straight, easy and 
graceful. The first thing to be done with a recruit, 

29* 






240 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

is to break him of his ungainly habits of body, and 
limbs ; and to bring him into an upright position. 
The next is to give him the free use of all his 
muscles. The last is to make his movements 
easy, and graceful, so that one part of himself, shall 
not be a burthen to another. A man can protect 
himself, and be most effective against others, in 
proportion to his excellence in these qualities. 
Warriors must be supposed to have discovered , and 
to have practised the best modes of making out of 
man, the best machine for disabling and putting his 
fellow men to death. In the use of arms, not only 
the musket, but the sword, the lance and pike, are 
to be handled. The person must be capable of 
carrying a heavy burthen, and moving over a long 
space, in a short time. The drilling which a sol- 
dier gets, qualifies him to effect all these objects, in 
the best manner. It may be concluded, therefore, 
that military discipline, (if it were not for the pur- 
poses for which it is given) is consistent with the 
principles of nature, in giving the bones a proper 
position, and in giving the muscles their proper 
use, and power. If strength, facility and beauty of 
motion, are good qualities for soldiers, in the use of 
human muscles for their purposes ; they are good 
qualities of every person who moves for any and 
every purpose, for which motion is lawful. 

338. Although the frame of man is so made as to 
permit him to assume an endless variety of positions, 
and to apply his strength in all of them, he does, or 
should, return always, to an upright position. No 
essential deviation fruin this position, can possibly 
be a natural one, but for a temporary purpose. This 
is proved by the framing of the human bones. This 
framing shows, that when one walks, it was intend- 
ed that he should be perpendicular ; if he walk in 
an inclined position, he has not only to move him- 
self, but to resist the power of gravitation, at the 
same time. The muscles, in such case, have a 
strained and unnatural duty to perform. It seems 
to have been intended, by the same sort of proof, 
that human beings should walk with the lower 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 241 

limbs, that is, from the hips downward, and not 
with an unmeaning and ungraceful action of the 
whole person, as is often seen to be done. 

339. As to the best modes of acquiring strength, 
ease, and grace, there may be very different opin- 
ions. There are many persons who think the dis- 
cipline of dancing, a proper mode ; and others who 
think this highly improper. We would not run 
against any opinions, whether they be well, or ill- 
founded. But as to dancing, just like every thing 
else, it may be misused and perverted ; or be made 
to be an innocent, healthy, and commendable ac- 
complishment. There is no mode so much within 
the reach of the community, in general, as this. 
Properly taught, it brings out the power of the mus- 
cles, and gives them their natural action ; all natu- 
ral motion is graceful. The motion of birds is 
exceedingly beautiful ; that of animals is generally 
so ; that of young children is always so, until they 
acquire something unnatural ; the flowing of wa- 
ters is graceful, and the action of the winds is so, as 
is proved by the waving of the trees, of the grain- 
fields, the floating of the flag, &c. The most grace- 
ful object in nature is tranquilly ascending smoke. 
Why should not man conform to this general law of 
nature ? Dancing well, is one mode of conforming. 
Possibly, it is considered frivolous and corrupting. 
Nothing is frivolous in this system of being, which 
is innocent, pleasing, and adapted to promote healthy 
action. Persons who are capable of being corrupt- 
ed by dancing, will certainly find some much more 
effective mode to become so, if this be denied to 
them. • Dancing among the very young, is usually 
conducted under the eye of discreet seniors ; and 
well-educated adults need no supervision in danc- 
ing, but that of good sense, and their own self-re- 
spect. But suppose dancing could in any case be 
perverted, so may every thing else be. If we are 
to do nothing till it is impossible to err in doing it, 
what will there be for any one to do ? 

340. As to dancing, this may be said of it : 1. 
Dancing satisfies the demand of nature for action. 



242 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

2. It is action for both mind and body. 3. It is ac- 
tion, which begins, goes on, and ends, with the 
attainment of an object. 4. It brings the human 
figure into its proper position, and developes the 
power and uses of the muscles. 5. It is a social, 
and not a solitary pleasure. 6. It is an innocent 
and refining pleasure, because it brings both sexes 
to be acquainted with each other, and improves the 
manners of both. 7. It is accompanied by music, 
which is one of the most elevating and grateful 
pleasures known to man. 8. Dancing is a dictate 
of nature. It has been made solemn among savage 
warriors ; a mode of exalted worship among the 
pious ; one manner of showing social gratification, 
among dignitaries. It has found its proper place at 
last, in being a social, rational, elegant amusement; 
which delights those who engage in it, and those 
who are spectators. 

341 . Drawing. This is an employment which de- 
serves a higher rank than mere amusements can 
claim. As an amusement only, it has much to re- 
commend it. It disciplines the eye, because no one 
can delineate well, who does not use the sense of 
seeing with nice discrimination. It requires accu- 
rate comparing of different objects, and of different 
parts of the same object. Nature, everywhere, re- 
spects proportion and grace ; and no one who has 
successfully attempted to represent her works on his 
canvass, can look on them without sentiments of 
devotional reverence. A skilful delineator would 
behold the sun-setting, which often occurs in sum- 
mer, and in autumn, in this favored clime, with 
emotions unknown to him whose eye is fixed on the 
dust of the earth, and whose immortal spirit never 
rose above its surface. What is the glorious decline 
of day to him, who never raised his thoughts to the 
Being, who appointed its place to the luminary, that 
warms, sustains, and cheers the life of man. Apart 
from the sentiment which copying Nature, (whether 
in her own beautiful simplicity, or adorned, as she 
may be, by human taste,) may inspire, there are 
numberless uses of the power of delineation, which 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 243 

makes it well worth the acquisition. It is that skill 
which rescues from Time, some of his accumulating 
spoils, and which bestows on the very senses of 
those who may dwell in coming ages, perception of 
realities, which past ages have borne away. 

If it be objected that these are fanciful views ; so 
be it, with all who think so ; and let us turn to what 
is certainly useful. In what way can inventive ge- 
nius, present its products to the senses of the me- 
chanic, (who must be relied on to make them real,) 
without the art of delineation ? Without this aid, 
art and science would have been, where the com- 
munication of thought would have been, without 
the art of printing. In a much inferior view, and 
merely as convenient, agreeable, and amusing, the 
art of drawing is innocent, and proper action, and 
less liable than any which can be mentioned, to 
lead to any perverted use. 

342. Music. It is one of the most convincing 
proofs of the benevolence of the Deity, that he has 
so formed the human ear, as to make it capable of 
finding a rational, and elevated pleasure, from the 
action of sound. There might have been organs of 
speech, and ears to hear, without imparting to the 
ear, the power of knowing and delighting in music. 
It must have been intended that this gracious gift 
should be used, and (most probably) as one mode of 
praise, and thanksgiving, as well as for innocent 
pleasure. Christians, in general, understand this 
gift to be properly applied in worship ; and it may 
be, and often is found to be, one of the most impres- 
sive and affecting parts of it. It may be that this 
page will fall under the eye of some one, who knows, 
what may be felt from hearing sacred music in St. 
Peter's Cathedral in Rome ; or St. Paul's church in 
London ; or from hearing the grand organ at Haer- 
lem in Holland. Music may be perverted, and may 
be the vehicle of defiling thoughts ; it may be seduc- 
tive, and help onward to folly, and crime. If, how- 
ever, one were to strike out of use, all from which 
partial evil may arise, or which may be perverted, 
he must give up all the pleasures of life. Music is 



244 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

action ; it is action to some end ; the end may be in- 
nocent, and delightful. The enjoyment has the doa- 
ble advantage of being solitary and social. Music 
may be made to produce a sense of high moral feel- 
ing ; and it may be made to produce a feeling of very 
opposite character. The same rules must be ap- 
plied to this subject, as to all others ; that every 
thing was created, and for some good and wise pur- 
pose ; and that every thing must act, and will act, 
to some useful end, if human ignorance, or error, do 
not interfere. It is therefore contended, that the 
power to make music is to be cultivated, and its 
benefits to be thankfully enjoyed. That music was 
intended for man. may be seen in this : Let one con- 
sider what a variety of sounds, are continually made 
on, or near the earth's surface, and within human 
hearing ; what a large proportion of them are pleas- 
ant sounds, either in fact, or from association with 
useful ends. Then consider the sounds made by 
the wind in passing through trees, and in the flowing 
of water ; next, those made by insects, quadrupeds, 
and the feathered tribes. Whenever one meets a 
painful natural sound, it is from an association of 
it, with pain, or terror. Many of these natural 
sounds are directly, or from association, exceedingly 
interesting and pleasing ; the music of birds is so, 
in a high degree, from both these causes Was not 
this music introduced as apart of the system, quite 
as much because man belongs to it, as that birds do ? 
It cannot be known, what pleasure the mocking 
bird, for example, takes in his own astonishingly 
varied notes. But a human being who attends to 
this, and many other songsters, if he have any ear to 
hear, any sensibility to be touched, and any thought- 
fulness as to the ivhy, and icherefore, of all things, feels, 
that these musicians were made for him, as well as 
for themselves. He feels too that they do not pin 
him to the earth, but send his thoughts upwards. 
For such, and many other reasons, which naturally 
suggest themselves, it must be, that pleasurable 
sound is a beneficent gift, and was meant, as all 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 245 

others were, to be used, cultivated, and applied to 
promote human happiness. 

343. It is consistent, that man, as he is so supe- 
rior to all other animals, should be alike superior in 
the making- and enjoying* of musical sounds. He 
undoubtedly is so. His voice (it would be more 
proper to say woman's voice) includes all the sweet 
sounds which can be made, by all other animals. 
He has by cultivating this power, by applying the 
atmosphere through the human lungs, and by deli- 
cacy of touch, and by bringing substances in con- 
tact with each other, and, by sending the wind 
through that wonderful work of his own hands, the 
organ, found the means of rendering just tribute to 
the Most High, and of softening and purifying his 
own heart. No doubt music was given to mortals 
for their amusement ; and that it is their duty to take 
it so, and be thankful for it. Whether thankful, or 
not, they have so taken it. Music is as old as man 
is. It is seen wherever man is seen. The wilder- 
ness of the savage, echoes with it, and so does the 
splendid palace of the king. It goes with the soli- 
tary laborer ; it is the friend and comforter of the 
oppressed, and sorrowful, when they can find none 
other. It is the poor man's friend, the rich man's 
luxury ; it is the lens of the imagination, through 
which are seen one's native home, one's early days. 
The philosophical value of music is, its conformity 
to the system of which it is found to be a part ; 
that is, making music is doing something, which 
has a beginning, progression, and end, to a pleasing 
and useful purpose. Why is history interesting ? 
Because it carries the reader along, and awakens 
curiosity, and proposes to him a solution, when he 
comes to the end. When the products of imagina- 
tion, (which to be of any value must conform to the 
same rule) are aided by harmony, they are captiva- 
ting. There were, before the art of printing made 
them less valuable, persons, whose business for life 
it was, to sing history ; such were the minstrels, and 
troubadours, of former days. 

344. So much has been said on the subject of 



246 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

music, because it may be an employment which 
will do two things, first, furnish children something 
to do ; and secondly, to make the something done, 
morally useful and pleasing to themselves, and to 
parents, friends, and associates. And. finally, be- 
cause proper poetry, sweetly sung, never yet made 
any mortal less worthy ; but has touched, stayed, 
and, perhaps reformed, many a backsliding heart. 
The American people have few amusements. Some, 
which they have, they would be better with- 
out. They take amusement by violence, and often 
go far for it, and buy it dear. Amusement should 
be one of the inmates of every family. A kind 
friend who is ever ready to take care that one does 
not abuse the trust of existence by idleness, nor 
obey the impulse to be busy, in doing that which 
should not be done. As such a friend, we venture 
to give music a cordial recommendation. 

345. Games at cards, are a very common amuse- 
ment. They may be innocent, but there is nothing 
to recommend them. They give no action to the 
body ; they are a very humble occupation for an 
intelligent mind. Whether the chances in distribu- 
ting fifty-two pieces of spotted paste-board, fifty 
successive times, in three or four hours, shall possess 
some of the engaged with fortunate pieces, and 
others with unfortunate ones, can hardly be said to 
be doing anything, to any useful end. When the 
sport is over, the thing proved, or arrived at is, 
that in this use of four hours of a short life, A. count- 
ed so much, and B. so much. This, however, is 
not the end usually proposed in playing cards. The 
cards are only the machinery, which, with more 
or less skill, submits to the laws of chance, the re- 
sult of emptying one man's pocket and filling 
another's. The most immoral gaming that is known 
in the world is carried on by means of lotteries. It is 
truly astonishing that it should ever have occurred, 
in any Christian country, that Legislators should 
have made it lawful It would be some compensa- 
tion for the complicated and manifold evils, which 
lotteries have occasioned, if all the American gov- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 247 

ernments should concur in abolishing them, under 
the severest penalties. 

The means of gaming, and especially with cards, 
(as they are the ready and most common implements 
in use) are regarded by all persons who feel an in- 
terest in the young, with a sort of abhorrence. 
Why ? Because they know how easily habit steals 
over one, when associated with captivating occupa- 
tion in early life. They are mindful of the wise 
maxim, resist beginning. The young, have no 
need of cards for amusement. They may have 
many amusing occupations which are innocent and 
improving. There may be persons in an advanced 
time of life, who are beyond the seduction of gam- 
ing, to whom the interest of a game of cards, may 
be an innocent and welcome amusement. Undoubt- 
edly, friends who are met for social purposes, and 
who have nothing better to do with their time, 
hands, and minds, may play cards, in a manner to 
give no offence to themselves, or others. But it is 
pleasing to know, that the state of improvement is 
such, that in most social meetings, there are high- 
er entertainments than that which cards afford, and 
which are justly in higher esteem. We allude, 
among other things, to conversation, of which some- 
thing is to be said in a future page. 

346. Chequers, or Drafts, are an innocent, but un- 
profitable amusement. They take time which might 
be much better spent. Chess is a game generally 
known throughout the world. It is probably the 
most engrossing of any, in which property is not 
depending on the result. It is a game for the mind 
only, and keeps the body long inactive. It has all 
the philosophical recommendations of interest. It 
is a trial of masterly skill against an adversary, in 
which a series of causes and effects are involved, 
leading to the result of victory. It is said to 
strengthen the mind. It certainly does so, as to 
chess playing ; but it remains to be proved that it 
does so, as to any other intellectual effort. There 
are many cases in life, where the playing of this 
game, is a grateful relief. It is a pleasant resort in 
23 



248 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

advanced life ; but as a love of it is easily acquired, 
and as it is a time-stealer, the young can do better, 
at something else. 

347. Chess is said to be the favorite game of the 
Turks, and Chinese. This seems to be as it should 
be. These nations are destitute of intellectual 
pleasures, and it is fortunate for them that there is 
such a game, to supply the demand for action. If 
one could clearly see how this demand affects differ- 
ent nations, and the same, in different stages, it 
would furnish a key to the necessary condition of 
nations. For example ; if the climate, the religion, 
the neighborhood, and the degree of cultivation of 
any people be known, it might, perhaps, be deduced, 
(like a sum in the rule of proportion) how a nation, 
so circumstanced, must act. Act in some way, it 
certainly will. Thus, possibly, some ingenious 
person, might account for the habits of Pagan ori- 
ental nations ; and show that the narrative tact, 
and their amusing products of fancy, arise, natural- 
ly, out of their condition. And so, also, of the su- 
perstitious, and terrific cast of fancy's works, among 
other people. If there be anything in such sugges- 
tions, it affords this inference, that the sum of mor- 
al duty includes the direction, and government, of 
the desire for amusement, no less than for the seri- 
ous occupations of life. 

348. There might be games, one would think, 
adapted to amuse children, and to be at the same 
time, innocent, and useful ones. Whatever they are, 
they must be consistent with the principle which 
requires a beginning, an interesting succession 
of circumstances, and a result worth attaining. This 
is proved by what every one may have observed in 
the estimate which children make of toys, and 
playthings. The charm soon vanishes, because, as 
soon as curiosity is satisfied, and it is known what 
the pleasure which the thing can impart, is, there 
is an end of it. Nothing is more natural than that 
a child should break its rattle. The noise it makes 
has become familiar, but what it is that rattles, must 
be known. Children must be busy. To require of 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 249 

them to be still, is to require what nature has for- 
bidden. To place a child on a hard bench, and tell 
him to sit still there, two or three hours, without 
any employment for his hands, or mind, is as great a 
violation of natural law, as to require of him to 
stand on his head, for the same length of time. 
There is an obvious want in the means of amusing 
children ; and we apprehend that it arises from dis- 
regarding the principles on which the construction 
of physical, and intellectual being rests. If there 
were an extensive workshop, provided with every 
variety of tools, with a proper superintendent, to 
which boys might resort on some proper arrange- 
ment ; and where they could make articles for 
themselves, there can be little doubt that it would 
be diligently frequented. The reason is, that their 
little efforts, would be to some end ; and by natural 
means.* On the other hand, the gymnastic ma- 
chinery is fallen into disrepute. These exercises 
are uninteresting repetitions to no end, except with 
those who realize that bodily motion must be had, 
to secure health. In such case, they endure the 
labor for the end in view. Nothing can be more 
uninteresting than gymnastic solitary exercise. No 
one would submit to this penance, who has not 
some object in view, as health, or grace, or strength, 
to be of use elsewhere, than in the gymnasium. 
The only charm in such exercise, among those who 
have no such objects, must be emulation. But the 
amusements of the young must be of a nature, to 
secure action to an innocent and useful end ; and 
health will take care of itself. Perhaps there may 
be some persons who can follow out this matter, 
and invent rational amusements. They would de- 
serve to be regarded as benefactors, and would, 
probably, find a substantial reward. We cannot but 
remark, that there is one game, which is not known 
among us, and which is one of the most interesting, 
and healthful that can be played ; that of tennis. 

* There is such an establishment at the Theological Institution, at 
Andover, (Mass.) ; it has afforded all the interest and utility which is 
naturally to be expected. 



250 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

There are many things to recommend it, and among 
others, it is one sufficiently interesting to be played 
for itself, without adding to it, the zest, of winning 
or losing anything but the game. We incline to 
think that it is the game, of all others, which de- 
serves the patronage of colleges, and seminaries ; 
and is best adapted to develope the physical force. 
349. Conversation. The principal amusement of 
the American people (except eating and drinking), 
is the interchange of thoughts by speech, or con- 
versation, which word is made out of the Latin 
words con and versor, and means literally, to be turned 
to or with. The principle of this amusement is found 
in the law of association of thought. To show this : 
What connexion can there be between a change of 
weather at Boston, in the month of January, and 
the crystalized appearance of granite on the highest 
of the Alpine mountains? A visiter remarks, that the 
thermometer had changed 48 degrees in 24 hours; 
and that some snow had fallen. Then the associa- 
tion of thoughts leads to the difference of snow fall 
in this, and more northern latitudes ; level fall of 
snow at Quebec, Archangel ; causes of different 
forms of flakes ; principle of crystalization ; wonder- 
ful effects of this natural principle of action ; salt, ice, 
granite ; primary and secondary formations of rock ; 
crystalization of granite ; mountains; &c. &c. From 
such a simple illustration, it is apparent, that one 
thought brings up another. Sometimes a conver- 
sation seems to take a very erratic course, and the 
end seems to have no connexion with the begin- 
ning ; but if it were carefully traced back, the 
chain would bs discovered. It is with conversation, 
much as it is with the action of the mind when one 
is alone, and is meditating on things done, or to be 
done ; and on persons, characters, and events. 
Now, the use to be made of these suggestions is 
this ; that conversation is a matter which is sub- 
jected to control, and to rules. Intelligent persons 
can always make a conversation. The only diffi- 
cult step is the first ; that ought not to be so con- 
sidered. Persons who are skilled in the art of 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 251 

talking, can always give it a direction. The pur- 
poses of conversation are, to put one's-self in the 
way of learning something ; to impart something 
that others want to hear ; to form opinions on in- 
teresting subjects ; to settle the merits or demerits 
of public action ; to recount amusing, or extraordi- 
nary facts, &c. &c. Every human being knows 
something, which he is willing to tell, and which 
any other, that he is in company with, wishes to 
know; or which, if known to him, would be amus- 
ing or useful. To be a skilful conversationist, one's 
eyes and ears should be busy ; nothing should es- 
cape his observation. His memory should be a 
good one, and he should have a good-natured wil- 
lingness to please, and to be pleased. It follows, 
that all matter of offence in conversation should be 
avoided. The self-love of others is to be respected. 
Therefore, no one is tolerated who makes himself 
the subject of his own commendation, nor who 
disregards the feelings of those whom he addresses. 
There is as much demand for politeness, and civili- 
ty, in conversation, as in any other department of 
social intercourse. One who rudely interrupts 
another, does much the same thing as though he 
should, when walking with another, impertinently 
thrust himself before his companion, and stop his 
progress. But then, one's companion should not take 
up the whole path. Conversation often turns on a 
question of fact, and one or other of the parties 
maintains vehemently, that the fact was, or was 
not ; and gets warm in maintaining his position. 
He relies on his own memory, or on that of some 
one who told him so, and may find himself at fault. 
He may have done himself a serious wrong in being 
so positive. Now whether the fact was so or not, 
may be of very little importance. So, opinions are, 
sometimes, vehemently maintained, when they are 
in themselves of little weight. Conversation, among 
civil, well informed, and especially among polite 
persons, is carried on for the sole purpose of giving 
a general pleasure, and one in common, to all who 
are engaged in it ; and never for the gratification of 
23* 



252 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

any individual's pride, vanity, or ostentation. These, 
it is acknowledged, are only intimations. The im- 
portance of conversation better deserves a volume, 
(if one were capable of making it), than a short 
section. But if there be any weight in what has 
been intimated, those who take an interest in the 
matter, will be able to improve upon it. It may be 
added, that, in general, it is supposed that persons 
do not want to talk, unless on particular calls to do 
so. On the contrary, it is believed, that all persons 
like conversation, when properly invited to engage 
in it. Under favorable circumstances, and among 
persons who know how to train a conversation, 
there are few, if any amusements, more grateful, 
to the human mind. 

350. Reading, is another of the standard amuse- 
ments of persons of all ages. How truly astonish- 
ing would it be to an Egyptian, Grecian, or Roman, 
if he could be told, that a speech delivered in a le- 
gislative assembly in one evening, is read by thous- 
ands, before ten o'clock next morning, who are 
scattered throughout a circle of an hundred miles in 
diameter. The influence of the press on the char- 
acter of a country is not to be measured, or calcu- 
lated. It is strikingly true of this admirable inven- 
tion, as it is of so many other things in natural and 
moral agency, that, well used, it is an inestimable 
blessing ; ill used, the corrupting demon of social 
life. The press resembles natural and moral agents, 
in another respect ; it is, what they who use it, 
choose to make of it. In a wise, discreet, and vir- 
tuous community, the press must conform to this 
character. In a turbulent, ignorant, and low com- 
munity, the press will conform itself to the demand. 
It is commonly said, that the press makes the char- 
acter of the people who read. Is it not equally true, 
that the people make the character of the press ? They 
probably have a reciprocal influence. As the peo- 
ple become wise and intelligent, the press must be- 
come so. It may be that the press itself has aided 
them, in forming a chastened demand. 

351. Happily, attention to the proper wants of 



MORAL ^LASS BOOK. 253 

the young, has required of the press, its action for 
their benefit ; not as to books of study only, * but 
books of amusement. It is delightful to hear chil- 
dren, in their conversations, quote their authorities, 
from books so attractively prepared for them, as to 
have rivetted attention, and to have loaded mem- 
ory. They are books sent forth by beneficent, and 
intelligent minds. Their narrations are exceeding- 
ly interesting, while they lead to sincere and re- 
spectful assent to the virtues, and moral beauties, 
which they teach. They are lessons for parents, 
while they are amusement of the best order for chil- 
dren. But children cannot devote all their playful 
hours to reading. It is not desirable that they 
should. They are liable to sit in postures, while 
intent upon their books, which are unfriendly to 
form, and to health. However commendable this 
sort of occupation may be, still we venture to main- 
tain that, there is a space to be filled in finding amusements 
f or children, which comprise such physical action, and 
such mental interest, as will expand and strengthen 
the frame, while they keep the heart pure, and 
amiable. There is rarely a known want in this 
land, which no one is ingenious enough to supply. 
This want may be carried further. It is very pos- 
sible, that the gathering of great numbers, on public 
days, might be made interesting by manly, and 
amusing sports. They might, it is believed, be 
such, as would interest, and command the approba- 
tion of those who could not engage in them, and 
even of the most venerable. 

The splendor of Grecian renown undoubtedly had 
its root, in the celebration of the Olympic games, 
which occurred once in four years throughout more 
than eight centuries. The finest qualities of the 
physical and intellectual being of man, here found 
their wreaths of laurel amidst the applause of gath- 
ered thousands from all the cities of Greece. Here 
manly strength and grace, female elegance, poetry, 
music, piety, patriotism, skill, emulation, enduring 
and glorious honor, conspired to do some act, to 
some prospective end, in which all were interested. 



254 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

These celebrations served as eras in computing time. 
Whence, one reads in the history of this eminent 
people, that an event happened in such a year of 
such an Olympiad. The games of the Greeks 
are not offered for imitation, in these days. But, 
man's nature now, is the same that it was in Greece. 
The principle of action is the same, though mani- 
festations of it in Greece, may not suit American 
propensities. Yet, that there must be amusements 
is as certain, as that there are Americans. The 
matter to be known is, by what means amusement 
may be, at the same time, most attractive, most 
innocent, and most useful. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

Domestic Duties. 

INTRODUCTION. 

352. There are some persons who see, in the order 
of succession, inherent in animal and vegetable cre- 
ation, that the system is irreconcileable to Divine 
power and benevolence. They complain of the prin- 
ciple of decay ; of the yellow leaf of autumn ; of the 
dreariness of winter. They complain more of the 
uncertainty, and, (sometimes) sudden termination 
of human life ; that the young and the serviceable 
die ; that death, at any age, is a mournful and 
afflictive event. They say that the world is ' a vale 
of tears ;' that c man is born to trouble, as the sparks 
fly upward ;' that our c days are few, and full of 
trouble.' This is not what the Deitv has said ; it 
is not what nature says. This is the language of 
ignorant, erring, ungrateful man. There is no one 
thing which declares the wisdom, and the goodness 
of God, more convincingly, than the provision for 
the commencement, the duration, and the end of 
life. Whatsoever there may seem to be of evil in 
it, is either of man's own creating ; or it is because 
he does not, or will not exercise his reason. If it 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 255 

were left to man to regulate this matter, what 
would he please to do ? Would he make every- 
thing that comes into being, as vegetable, continue 
in it, and for how long a time ? What would be- 
come of the succession of blossoms and fruits ? 
Would he make his own race immortal on the 
earth ? What would he do with the pleasures, and 
duties of youth, manhood, decline, and old age ? 
Would he continue all in life, who come into it in- 
definitely ? How would, or could, any being come 
into life, if the Creator's order were deranged ? If 
it were possible to suppose that all to whom life is 
given, were to remain on earth and continue to 
multiply, what would life come to be ? It better 
becomes audacious mortals, to be assured, that all 
is right. It is their proper duty to exercise the benefi- 
cent gift of reason, to learn that it is so ; that death 
proceeds no less from the goodness of God, than 
birth ; that man abuses and perverts the beautiful 
order of succession, as he does every thing else, 
when ignorant, and disobedient. If he used his 
faculties as he is commanded to do, he would know, 
that from this order arise, all the relations which 
call forth the highest moral perfection to which he 
can aspire ; all excitements to virtue ; all the 
promptings to self-satisfying action ; all the delights 
which are worthy of a mind destined to immortality. 
353. Marriage. The history of the human race 
does not make known any people, among whom 
marriage was unknown. It does make known that 
this natural union of the sexes has been misunder- 
stood, or odiously perverted, among many people. 
It has been rightly understood by no people who 
were not Christians. It has been most reproach- 
fully misunderstood or perverted among them. It 
has been, sometimes, a mere cover for obtaining 
wealth, or distinction, and, in such cases, has been 
punished, as all perversions of good gifts commonly 
are, and ought to be. What can be a more gross 
perversion of parental duty, than to sell a child to 
one whom she cannot love, respect, nor esteem, 
merely because he is rich ! Marriage is the ordi- 



256 MORAL CLASS BOOK, 

nance of the Creator. It began when man began. 
It is ordered to perpetuate the succession of the hu- 
man family. It is ordered for the whole duration of 
adult age. It is man's peculiar privilege in this : it 
connects him with generations which are gone ; 
with that which is passing away ; and with those 
which are to come. The memory, and the ashes of 
the dead are precious to him, and no other animal 
has that sentiment. He alone, contemplates that 
his own memory will be held in honor ; and that 
the place of his earthly quiet will be sacred. He 
only is enabled to conceive, that moral and physi- 
cal wrong, will bear his own stamp, in the charac- 
ter, and in the frame, of those that follow him ; he 
only knows that a good name may be an honorable 
inheritance. These are the sentiments which 
spring from the beneficent gift of marriage. How- 
ever much one may misunderstand, or abuse this 
gift, nature, ever faithful to her trust, forces these 
sentiments on the heart. The bitterest agony that 
a worthless father, or mother can endure, is the con- 
sciousness, that their own vice, and folly will be 
visited on their offspring. In this sense, there is 
nothing more true than that the sins of the father 
shall be visited on the children. Marriage is held 
to be, in all Christian countries, a contract. The 
very term, contract, implies an understanding of 
the nature of the subject on which the contract is 
made, and that the parties are capable of perform- 
ing it ; and also, that they will respectively perform 
the obligations which the contract clearly indicates. 
It is that contract which is so solemn and serious, 
that all others, when compared with it, sink into 
insignificance. It is for this reason, that those who 
are called to minister in holy things, are empower- 
ed, by the laws of the land, and the usages of 
Christians, to declare in the presence of witnesses, 
that this contract is made ; and to ask the blessing 
of Heaven on its purposes. The laws of the land, 
those of nature, and the Divine law, disclose the 
sentiments, the feelings, and the awful sense of 
duty with which this undertaking should be regarded- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 257 

Yet, it is frequently entered into, from motives high- 
ly reprehensible ; and sometimes with shocking 
thoughtlessness. It is from such causes, that we 
see, that this sacred union, which should be the 
true source of the highest human happiness, be- 
comes that inexhaustible fountain, from which both 
parties are daily and hourly compelled to drink, and 
from the same cup, the bitterest waters. One 
hardly knows in what language to speak to the young, 
on this all-important subject. Can one speak to 
them in any language which they will heed ? Glid- 
ihg easily into gross errors, they believe every 
thing to be what fancy whispers it to be ; they 
entangle themselves in a web of their own creating-; 
and when they find their freedom bound in cords, 
which nothing but the scythe of death can cut, they 
cry out, i What a miserable world is this V c What 
malignant power invented this detestable state of 
being !' 

354. If one could penetrate the ear of enamored 
youth, what good would come from such sugges- 
tions as these ? Have you considered what that 
measure is which you are about to take ? Do you 
know that there is a Lawgiver above you, who is 
just and inexorable ? That he has trusted you with 
the responsibility of your own welfare ? That he 
has submitted to your perusal the volume from 
which that responsibility is to be drawn ? Do yon 
know what will come of that engagement which 
you are about to make ? Are you about to tie your- 
self in bonds, absolutely indissoluble while you 
live, to a mortal who has feelings, wishes, wants, 
hopes, and fears, which must become your's, and a 
part of your very self ; or which you must resist, 
control, or war with ? Do you know that pain, suf- 
fering, and sorrow, originating in either, must be 
borne by both ? Do you realize that whatsoever 
of error, folly, or crime, may be chargeable to 
either of you, or to any who may spring from your 
contract, will be your common burthen, and shame ; 
and that from these you can relieve yourself no 
where but in the grave ? Or, do you know, that 










258 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

this attractive being will be your kind friend ; your 
counsellor ; the welcome soother of your cares and 
anxieties ; the generous and charitable judge of 
your infirmities ; the inspirer of honorable ambition ; 
your fellow laborer in joint interests ; the ornament 
of your life ; the gracious, considerate, faithful, gen- 
tle companion who will make your own virtuous 
home, the place to which you refer all earthly hap- 
piness ? Who that is c in love ' has leisure, or incli- 
nation to think of such trifles as these ? 

355. There is no reason why the passion of love 
should be wrapped up in mystery, nor any, why the 
mind should be stained in considering its nature. 
It would prevent much, and complicated misery in 
the world, if all young persons understood it truly. 
There are in every human being, germs, each one 
of which may be made to come forth, and may be 
so cultivated, as to produce the most odious vices, 
or the most serene and heavenly virtues. Or, to 
take another illustration, every propensity of the 
heart is like a drop of water, which rises on the 
very summit of the highest land ; it may flow to the 
East, and find itself, (with all that joins it on the 
way,) in one sea, or West, and find itself in another, 
as distant and different, as East and West. The pro- 
pensity to love, is one of the best in our nature ; but, 
it may run into the worst of afflictions. It seems to 
be a principle of nature, that the ruin of the highest 
and best, is the deepest and worst of ruins. The 
human mind in its greatest natural force, and best 
and purest cultivation, brings its possessor into an 
affinity with angels. The same mind, gradually de- 
praved and debased, and driven to raving and ma- 
licious madness, is a horrible example of what is 
fancied to be diabolical. So is it with love. In its 
true use, it is, what is thought to be the happiness 
of heaven ; in its perversions, who can find words 
to tell what it is ? Ask the physician whose voca- 
tion it is, not to heal the wounds which nature 
makes, but to find remedies for the punishments 
which she inflicts. Look into the public hospitals, 
and mad-houses. Nay, look within the curtains, 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 259 

whose outside emblems of grandeur and dignity tell 
for whose use they were intended, and see, who 
and what inhabit there ! 

356. There is in every human heart a fund of 
kindness, tenderness, and affection, which makes 
itself known to be there in due time. It demands 
to be applied. This is the trying and perilous mo- 
ment in youthful life. There is some one, some- 
where, who will take that fund, and give its full 
equivalent. The external senses, and the heart, 
are in search of that one. Happy will it be for the 
searcher, if he will take reason as a monitor to keep 
the senses, and the heart in order. But reason is 
commonly regarded, not as a kind and faithful friend 
whose duty it is to whisper, c begin nothing, of 
which you have not well considered the end,' but 
as a withered scowling matron, who, being utterly 
dead to the impulses of youth, denies that there 
ought to be any youthful impulse. If there has 
been no preparation for this eventful period, if the 
mind has not been enriched with the teachings of 
rational prudence ; if the eye has not been taught 
to distinguish between the real and the seeming ; if 
the ear has not learned to discriminate the meaning 
of sounds ; if life as a whole, if the consequences of irrevo- 
cable deeds be not thought of, there is peril ; and the 
pure drop from the fountain may flow into any sea, 
but that of happiness. Surely, when one is sub- 
jected to the force of any passion, there is peril. 
He is like one descending an inclined plane of ice 
on the Alps ; the further he goes, the faster he 
goes, and the nearer is he to the abyss below. Such 
an one cannot (as an amiable and eminent states- 
man of our country said on another occasion) drop 
so much fire into a barrel of gunpowder, as will in- 
flame an ounce or two ounces, at his pleasure, and 
no more. He should know that one spark, however 
small, will inflame the whole. We pray leave to 
remind the amiable and virtuous young, of one very 
curious principle of our nature, which comes into 
effective action at this sensitive moment. The im- 
agination asserts its dangerous empire ; it throws a 
24 






260 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

misty medium before the eyes ; it steals away the 
common prudence of the ear ; it disorders the nat- 
ural sensibility of the touch. It takes its seduced 
subject into lonely contemplations ; and there it 
dresses out the common qualities of the beloved ob- 
ject, with unreal, and unnatural beauty. One be- 
gins then, to hear of angels, divinities, and loveli- 
ness that are not, and never were of this earth. 
Who, and what, is the object of this adoration ? 
No one, and nothing that really exists, but a fasci- 
nating creature of the brain. That creature is 
what is married. The realities of married life soon 
show, under what a sad delusion the parties have 
acted. The disappointment is proportioned to the 
extravagance of fancy. 

357. In whatever variety of modes, the purposes 
of life may have been mistaken, or perverted, it is 
probable that they have been so, in no one thing so 
much as in marriage. There are fewer marriages 
than there might be, and ought to be, to say no- 
thing of the motives on which some are contracted. 
This may be referred, it is believed, to the mistaken 
estimate which is made of riches, and modes of liv- 
ing. The sacrifice which is made to fashionable 
opinion, is a very easily one. It would be unjusti- 
fiable to attempt to maintain, that the elegant pro- 
ducts of art, are not to be esteemed and used, and 
the production of them encouraged ; and equally so 
to decry, the luxurious products of the land, or the 
sea. All are proper in their respective places. All 
are to be consumed by those who can buy them, 
and who desire to reward directly, or indirectly 
(provided always that they duly reverence nature 
in the use) the labor that brings them forth. But 
such things are unduly valued. They are made to 
be the first objects in life, when in fact they hardly 
deserve to be called secondary. The married must 
have a place to live in ; it must be convenient and 
comfortable ; they must have garments and food ; 
and they must have the means of supplying certain 
necessary and pleasurable wants. There must be 
ease, and independence, within their walls. Inde- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK- 261 

pendence does not mean wealth ; but that magna- 
nimity which produces cheerful, thankful satisfac- 
tion, for having, and having the right to have, a 
home, in which one finds full exercise for all the kind 
affections of the heart, with the means of gratifying 
them. All beyond these things are sought, and ob- 
tained, and used, for whom ? To conform to opin- 
ions which have very small claim to be rational, 
but which have a powerful influence in the world. 
There must be a certain state of things, because, 
'every body does so.' There must be one or more 
apartments furnished in the proper style, to be 
opened and used some two or three times in a year, 
to please persons with whom one has slight con- 
nexion. It may be erroneous to say to please such 
persons, for it is far from being certain that this 
effect is produced ; it is to please one's-self, in doing 
what fashion dictates, whether that be convenient 
or inconvenient, wise or foolish. 

358. Will it be doubted that a young, well-educa- 
ted, industrious couple, who are sincerely and 
affectionately attached, on a sober examination, and 
conviction of each other's worth, and suitableness to 
each other, may be happy, with means far short of 
the fashionable standard ? Presuming that such a 
couple are wise enough to take life for the real and 
substantial good that it can produce, and as a 
whole, it would do them great injustice to suppose 
that they could not find that good in a small, simple, 
cheerful, tranquil mansion. It would be doing the 
friends of such a couple the like injustice to suppose, 
that they could not visit them, and be satisfied to 
see them happy, through such means. It may be 
added, that such a state of things conforms to the 
laws of nature. If such a couple desire a more en- 
larged state of things, they will earn it by frugality, 
and industry. What one has earned is sweet to 
him ; and he who sees something before him which 
he may strive for, and attain to, is impelled, by the 
same laws, to honorable exertion. But he who has 
no more to aspire to, must, like c Macedonia's mad- 
man,' weep that there is no more. These are very 






262 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

homely but very healthy truths ; yet, there is not the 
shadow of hope that they will change the thoughts 
of one belle or beau, in the whole United States. 
So far, therefore, as depends on these unpretending 
efforts to improve the world, it will continue to be, 
in the opinion of very many, c a detestable state of 
being.' 

In whatsoever circumstances, and with whatever 
motives marriages occur, the parties are married ; and 
the question which they have to propose, and solve 
is, in what way they can secure to themselves the 
greatest good during their union. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Domestic Duties, continued, 

359. Husband, It must be assumed, that the 
parties to a marriage act, according to their own 
will and pleasure, in entering into it ; and that they 
expect to promote their own welfare by such mea- 
sure. They were^ or might have been informed, of 
each others suitableness. Both knew, or might 
have known, that new circumstances, and unexpect- 
ed events, might change or destroy qualities, and 
bring dormant, or newly acquired ones, into opera- 
tion. Both agreed, each with the other, to bear, 
and forbear, and to make the best of the matter, 
however it might prove to be. Each one solemnly 
promised, that the contract should be kept, if it reason- 
ably could be, although the other might fail to per- 
form. Let us suppose, that there were no mistakes 
in the beginning, as to the qualities, and conduct of 
the wife ; and that she is, in all respects, and under 
all % circumstances, such an one as has been before 
suggested. Can the exercise of power over a de- 
pendant female, in a manner which not only deprives 
her of the benefits promised in connubial life, but 
which makes her a daily, and hourly sufferer, be 
reconciled with the law that commands one to pro- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 263 

mote his own good, and to perform duties voluntarily 
assumed ? How can any one who calls himself a man, 
and who claims to be considered and treated as such^ 
by other men, habitually prove himself not to be a 
man, but a brute, towards a defenceless, unoffend- 
ing 1 woman ? If one could look into all the families 
of the United States, how many voluntary scenes of 
misery would be disclosed ! We assume now, that 
the woman is in no fault ; and that she strives con- 
tinually, to accommodate herself to her condition; 
and to bear in silence ; and to do her best to console 
assuage, and make of home what it should be. 
Might not one, in such case, say to the husband, 
are not you, your own cruel enemy ? Do you not 
make to yourself the misery which you complain of, 
as being incident to this state of being ? If you have 
troubles, and vindictive feelings towards any who 
have wronged, or oppressed you, abroad, have you 
any sense of right and justice, or any conformity 
to the law which commands you to do as you would 
be done by, in making your innocent wife the victim 
of your morose and angry feelings ? Did you not 
solemnly promise her, that if she would devote 
her life to you, you would support, cherish, and 
faithfully reward her affection ? Do you avail 
yourself of the secrecy of domestic life, and of the 
certainty, that prudence and regard for you, and 
for your offspring, will keep all causes of complaint 
within your own walls, to play the tyrant towards 
one whose tongue must be silent, until she charges 
you as a criminal in a court of justice ? Has she 
done you any wrong ? Has she upbraided you that 
your social hours are spent away from her ; and 
that your earnings are not brought home to be used 
for the common comfort, but dissipated in follies ? 
When you have come into her presence, from she 
knows not what company, with an unsteady step, 
a giddy and throbbing head, and a bewildered 
brain, has she not sought to hide your, and her 
own shame? Has she reproached you for these 
breaches of your solemn promises, in any way, but 

24* 



264 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

with tears ? — Tears, not shed for herself, but for 
you, and for your children ! 

Are these, and similar scenes, natural, or moral, 
evil ? Did the Deity, or his order of providence, 
command them, or are they wilful, wicked breaches 
of plain obvious duty ? Surely, it is not right for 
such husbands to say that this is a bad world ; and 
that man is born to trouble ? It would rather con- 
form to the principles of inflexible justice, that such 
husbands should find, in this world, the thorough 
contempt of all good men ; and, somewhere, such 
punishment as such voluntary breach of one of the 
most important of all laws, ought to meet with. 

360. Wife. It must depend in this case, as in 
that of a husband, whether a contract shall be 
made. As it is the proper course for the other sex 
to propose, and for this to accept or reject, a fe- 
male should have opportunity to know the charac- 
ter and temper of a suitor, before she consents to 
make him master of her welfare for life. 

If this serious negotiation were treated with the 
sincerity and frankness, which it so much better de- 
serves than any other that can be named, the 
proper knowledge would be had. The true state 
of the case is this : A man proposes to a woman to 
surrender herself and her expectations of happiness 
to him, as long as she lives. The decorum en- 
joined upon her sex, has shut her out from the in- 
quiries, and knowledge, on which, if she have any 
pretension to prudence, and good sense, her au- 
swer must depend. It may be very unfortunate for 
both parties, whether her answer be yes, or no, 
under such circumstances. It would better conform 
to reason, for the female to reply, that she cannot 
answer ; and that it will be wiser for both of them 
to consider the matter, and to take time to form a 
candid and just opinion. Any sensible man would 
feel a respect for such a woman ; and if the final 
answer did not accord with his wishes, still the fe- 
male has done him no wrong. As the fashion of 
the day is understood to be, a proposition is made, 
often unexpectedly and without consideration ; a 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 265 

c refusal ' follows ; and the applicant considers him- 
self aggrieved, and is ever afterwards disposed to 
feel, that if it were not a lady, he would demand 
satisfaction. This want of frankness, and good 
sense, and the ridiculous sort of mystery, and per- 
versity, (which have no better origin, in many 
instances, than the learning derived from novels), 
are among the causes which have brought the sa- 
cred institution of marriage into disrepute. This is 
the occasion in which, above all others, a young 
female may rejoice in having rational and sensible 
parents, who understand what are the true purposes 
of human life. She can, and she ought, through 
them (or through those who hold the next place, if 
parents cannot be advised with) to know, all that it 
concerns her to know, of temper, of principles, of 
health, of habits, of capacity, of education, and of 
manners ; in short, of all qualities, on which her 
happiness may depend. Parents who have not the 
intelligence, and the will, to learn all that should be 
known, on these points, do not deserve to be pa- 
rents. On them it depends, whether their child 
may have the greatest good, or the most harassing 
evils, that the female heart can know. 

361. Those who are wives and mothers, have 
taken on themselves a very serious responsibility. 
That kind Providence, which never sleeps, and 
never errs, has enabled unperverted woman, to feel 
her connubial, and maternal duties; and if she have 
good sense enough to know how that feeling should 
be directed, and used, she will not err. Her condi- 
tion is often a trying one ; but happily, in general, 
in this country, though pains-taking and busy, it is 
not an unhappy one, and generally far otherwise. 
When it is a trying one, her task is to find out, how 
she can do herself, and those connected with her, 
the greatest good. It may depend on many cir- 
cumstances how she is to effect that object, of which 
she must judge. It is easy to show how she will 
not effect it. No husband who errs, is ever cor- 
rected by the sharp and upbraiding tongue of a 
wife. She may make him hate her, without making him 



266 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

any better. She is the last person in the world, from 
whom he will endure, unretorted, the language of 
reproach. She bound herself, by her original con- 
tract, to hold and bind him, by gentleness, kind- 
ness, and forbearance. These are her means. 
They are the only ones which she can ever use, 
with any hope of victory. This may be proved by 
a short illustration. A couple had lived long in 
happy alliance. The husband, misled by evil asso- 
ciates, yet fully sensible of domestic duties, spent 
his afternoons at a gaming table. It was his cus- 
tom to return to his family at a certain hour in the 
evening, and to find his wife at the table, awaiting 
his corning. Divided between the duty which he 
owed to her, and the habit of gaming, the time of 
his return, grew later and later ; he always found 
her at the tea table, clad in smiles, and welcoming 
his return. The hour was more and more prolonged 
into night, till it became midnight ; but she was 
still at the table, ready to receive him. No word 
of complaint escaped her. Subdued, at length, he 
burst into tears, declared his follies, and renounced 
them. The next day, and always after, he joined 
his family circle at the accustomed hour. Let us 
suppose, that this wife, had addressed to her hus- 
band that reproach which came, at last, through 
her kindness and good sense, from his own heart, 
what would have been her condition, his own, and 
that of their children ? 

There is one in the world, who feels for him who 
is sad, a keener pang than he feels for himself; 
there is one, to whom reflected joy, is better than 
that which comes direct ; there is one who rejoices 
in another's honor, more than in any which is one's 
own ; there is one on whom another's transcendent 
excellence, sheds no beam but that of delight ; 
there is one who hides another's infirmities, more 
faithfully than one's own ; there is one who loses 
all sense of self, in the sentiment of kindness, ten- 
derness, and devotion to another. That one is 
woman whom the Christian religion has given to the 
lord of the earth, to be his companion. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 267 

362. Children. The place which children may 
hold in society, depends essentially, on the charac- 
ter and conduct of the mother. In this busy nations 
a husband is commonly too much occupied in his 
own concerns, to devote his thoughts, and time, to 
any systematic course of discipline. The sum of 
duty, comprising 1 manners, cleanliness, associates, 
time out of school, amusements, morals, religious 
impressions, example, precept, temper, gentleness, 
depends mainly, on the mother. She commonly 
feels the weight of her responsibility, and is willing 
faithfully to acquit herself of it. But, she deserves 
every possible encouragement from her husband. 
The husband, too often thwarts her purposes, by 
interposing his own contradictory views. If he 
think he can do any good, by his better knowledge, 
the medium of influence is through the mother. If 
he can kindly convince her of some better mode, he 
will best promote the common welfare by that 
course ; and can do no greater mischief than by 
laying down rules that imply, the insignificance of 
her judgment. It should be remembered, that the 
prominent blessing of the Christian dispensation as 
to human life, is, that it has made woman the joint 
and equal partner in domestic interests. If parents 
desire to make their children feel contempt for the 
authority of both of them, the readiest way to do 
it, is to dispute in their presence. Which of them 
is a child to obey ? The bringing up of children is 
a fearful responsibility. So great is it, that many 
parents feel, that if they were not involved in it, 
and could have foreknown what it is, they never 
would have assumed it. But this distrust and dis- 
satisfaction is, in part, from their own errors. 
Have they ever seriously thought how this duty 
should be performed ? What books have they read ? 
With whom have they conversed ? What have 
they learned as to the best means of promoting the 
true interests of their offspring ? If they have done 
nothing to inform themselves, how can they be in- 
structers to others ? Not only are parents bound 
to know what is right, but they are bound to know 







268 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

how to use knowledge in a right manner. One rule 
to-day, and a discordant one to-morrow ; harshness 
and severity at one time, and the most weak and in- 
jurious indulgence at another, are poor qualities for 
instracters. There must be, in these matters, as in 
everything else, a best way. It may be found some- 
where in, or extracted from, these principles. Chil- 
dren have as good a right to be happy as their seniors. 
Their happiness consists, in having, and doing, what 
will make them intellectually capable ; morally cor- 
rect and amiable ; and physically pure, and strong. 
These ends will be obtained by a systematic regu- 
larity, mildly, and kindly, but certainly, enforced. 
Love, respect, and obedience, are its consequences. 
A child will soon learn, what it can have, and do, 
and what it cannot ; and it will soon know that it 
cannot ask again, for what has been, on due con- 
sideration, refused. The excellence of society has 
its root in infancy ; and that excellence is confided 
to the care of mothers. Its seeds are planted in 
the cradle. 

363. Parental blindness. If parents did not natu- 
rally love their children as they are seen to do, they 
would not have sufficient motives to perform their 
duties to them. This natural sentiment is seen to 
be strikingly perverted. Parents are often blind to 
defects and to faults, and imagine excellencies 
which no one perceives but themselves. When 
numbers of children are assembled, and are conse- 
quently objects of comparison, it is amusing to no- 
tice the watchful and self approving eye of mothers. 
But every mother may be assured that her children 
are very much like the children qf others ; and that 
it will rarely be safe to take any mother's self-grat- 
ulation as evidence of truth, touching the beauty, 
talents, or virtues of her own offspring. The de- 
sire to do the most, and best, for children, often 
leads mothers into a course of slavery, anxiety, and 
exhaustion. It undermines their physical strength; 
it narrows the intellectual circle in which they 
move ; and that circle becomes so contracted, at 
length, that it excludes all but children, unless the 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 269 

husband can find a place in it. This is, undoubted- 
ly, a mistake. This world was made to live in. 
Children must learn that truth, at some time. The 
sooner they learn it the better. They have to 
learn also, that they must depend on themselves ; 
and take care of themselves. If a child find that 
its parents always think for it, and that it need not 
have any thoughts of its own, it will not have any. 
If parents would do justice to children, they must 
take care of their own health, and of their own 
minds, and keep the run of the world ; and keep in 
view, that they can best fit their own children for 
social duties, by availing* themselves of all reasona- 
ble opportunities to know how those duties are 
generally understood, and performed ; or disregard- 
ed, or unknown. Children should be pushed for- 
ward, and made to try their strength with their 
equals, and not kept in seclusion. They need, as 
their seniors do, objects, with which to compare 
themselves. The mother's duty is to see, that these 
objects are proper ones. She needs to see those 
objects herself, to enable her to make her own com- 
parisons, and thereby to repress errors, and advance 
the commendable qualities. 

364. Brothers and Sisters. These relations make a 
very great mistake, as to the real good of life, in 
not cultivating a cordial and affectionate friendship 
with each other. In early life, they are apt to be 
in each other's way ; and to have irreconcilable 
wants ; thus, they very soon fall into alienations. 
They cannot, however, shake off the laws of na- 
ture. They must have an interest in each other, 
whether they will, or not ; and it will essentially 
promote their mutual welfare, to have a kind and 
gracious one. The common causes of their differ- 
ences are exceedingly insignificant, and often are 
contemptible. They will see the day when they 
will so think of them. The time presses hard upon 
them, when they will need counsel, support, and 
some one to care for them in a manner, which none 
but brothers and sisters, can do. When all has 
gone on well, from the cradle upwards, among such 



270 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

relatives, they become to each other, not only the 
most useful friends, but the most agreeable compan- 
ions. They are the natural confidants, when it 
would be folly to trust any one whose sympathy, 
and solicitude may change. Brothers and sisters 
who are thus bound together by affection, sometimes 
hazard the connexion, by volunteering friendly, but 
very unwelcome commentaries, and advice. This 
is a very delicate matter. Giving unasked advice, 
on any occasion, requires very great discretion. If 
one sees that his brother is blundering, there are 
many modes of so approaching him, as to lead him 
to find that he needs advice, and of putting him in 
search of it. If there be a right understanding, he 
will go where he is sure of having the best and sin- 
cerest. To assume a dictatorial authority over a 
brother, is to inflict a wound on self-love which can- 
not be forgiven. We have already noticed the 
value of civility, and politeness, between such near 
connexions. And we add, that sincerity and truth 
are no where more profitable and necessary. 4 Fa- 
miliarity breeds contempt,' is a true old saying, and 
is very apt to find an application of its truth, in the 
intercourse of brothers and sisters. If it do so, it 
must be because they are very ignorant of the pre- 
cious privilege which the laws of nature have given 
them. Though they do dwell together, in the 
closest intimacy, each one has his, and her, own 
c individual circle,' into which no one should come 
uninvited. Within that, is the very marrow of self- 
love, which is never touched, offensively, without 
exciting enmity. 

The kindness and confidence of brothers, like 
other feelings given for the best purposes, may be 
a source of serious affliction. It is no uncommon 
occurrence, especially in mercantile life, for one 
brother so to involve himself with another's affairs, 
by merely promising, as to make the same ruin inev- 
itable to both. It is a difficult matter to settle, 
where the limit of fraternal duty lies, in many 
cases. It is as much the duty of a brother to pro- 
nounce a decisive no to a brother, on some occa- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 271 

sions, as to make that answer to a stranger. No 
duty to a brother can absolve any one from his duty 
to himself. 

365. Domestics. From the earliest asres down to 
the present day, there have been different classes 
in society. This necessarily arises from the very 
order of society. The well established, and very 
proper right of inheritance, and the ability which 
some members of society have to acquire, and which 
others have not ; the difference of education, and 
other obvious causes, necessarily produce these dis- 
tinctions. Who among the various classes, is the 
most contented and happy, is quite another matter. 
There must be some to serve, and some to be served. 
They are mutually dependant. We refer, at pres- 
ent, to domestics, by which we mean those who 
constitute a part of a family for wages, or other- 
wise. Great complaints are heard, sometimes, of 
these persons, and sometimes great complaints from 
them. This connexion is regarded as one of the 
miseries of life. It is not necessarily so, and is 
usually, the fault of those who command, rather 
than of those who serve. 

Servants, masters, and mistresses, have the same 
sort of bones, muscles, heads, and hearts ; the same 
self-love, and the same sensibilities. All rational 
and well instructed persons, consider that servants 
are entitled to be esteemed and respected, accord- 
ing to their merits. That they have, as well as 
every body above them has, a right to be happy. 
They are entitled to be spared when sick ; advised 
and relieved when in trouble ; and to be made as 
comfortable as the circumstances of the parties per- 
mit. If they are persons of religious impressions, 
their accommodation is to be consulted. They are 
to be counselled as to saving the fruits of their la- 
bors. The commands given to them should be 
plain, clear, uniform, and not contradictory, and 
capricious. They are not to be commanded with 
virulence, and reproach, but gently, and rather by 
request. Children who are permitted to be insolent 
to the dependant, are permitted to do unchristian^ 
25 



272 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

and highly reprehensible acts. Servants, in com- 
mon with all who wear the human form, are enti- 
tled to civility. We know not, in this changing 
world, whose turn it may be, in a very few genera- 
tions, if not in the passing one, to be masters or 
servants. To fret and be ill-tempered about one's 
servants, ill becomes the dignity of any one. If 
they are troublesome, unworthy or ungrateful, the 
remedy is to dismiss them, and find others. It may 
be assumed that all persons who are served, may be 
well served if they choose to be so ; when they 
are not, it is their own fault. If there were no just 
cause of complaint against masters and mistresses, 
there would be much less against servants. If all 
persons understood and practised on these truths, 
the good qualities of servants would be more com- 
mon, and thus, one more cause of human misery 
would be diminished. 

3G6. Families. If the Christian dispensation be a 
precious gift in any respect pertaining to earthly 
being, it is so in family relation. What virtue that 
profits and adorns, is more excellent elsewhere than 
in this ; what vice that enfeebles and debases, is 
more odious than in this ! Here, may be, helpless 
innocence nurtured and invigorated ; insatiable 
curiosity, and restless excitement to action, usefully 
and successfully trained ; and honest pride of pa- 
rental love, faithfully and well directed : Here may 
be, the grateful assurance of having contributed to 
the common stock of society, worthy members ; in- 
expressible delight which fills the heart, and mois- 
tens the eye, in beholding the honor which the 
world renders to well directed parental care ; that 
kind sympathy and ministering skill and tender- 
ness, which take from affliction its sting ; and that 
calm and dignified submission to the will of Prov- 
idence which despoils even death of its terrors. 
But, perverted as it may be, and often is, family 
connexion may be an inexhaustible fountain of 
misery. Let us avoid the humiliation of showing 
what families may be when ignorance of, and diso- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 273 

bedience to the laws of the Creator, are the only 
known guides in life. Rather, let every family 
member lay his hand upon his heart and ask, am I 
temperate ; am I busy to useful ends ; am I just 
and true ; am I gentle and charitable ; am I kind 
and forbearing ; do I, as I would that others should 
do to me ; do I consider life as a whole, and do I 
understand its purposes, so that I can minister to 
the good of those on whom I must depend for good 
to myself, and for relief and sympathy when sorrow 
overtakes me ?. 

367. Disappointments and Sorrows of Parents. It is 
not to be wondered at, that parents, who have, as 
they think, done all that parents should do, to make 
their children worthy, are afflicted, when their 
labor and exertion do not produce the intended 
effect. Their reasonable hopes are disappointed ; 
their best feelings are tortured. An idle, ungrate- 
ful, dissolute son, is such a complicated cause of 
suffering, as may, if any thing may, lead one to 
murmur at the order of Providence. It may be 
admitted, that such a parent is very likely to break 
out with complaints against the world. This suf- 
fering, however keen and biting it may be, is not 
a natural, but a moral evil. There is a moral 
wrong somewhere at the root. Is it in the parent 
himself ? Has he rightly understood the trust con- 
fided to him, in the true relation of a parent ? Has 
he been austere, and uncompromising ? Has he 
thrown his child off from him, by severity ? Has 
he considered the nature of the human heart ? 
Has he given to that of his son, the support of good 
principles, and sound reason, to aid him to stand 
up against the temptations that assail youth ? 
Temptations which he ought to know to be inevita- 
ble. Has he watched the beginning of error, and 
drawn his child off from the descending plane ? 
But, perhaps the downward course has been long 
begun upon, and such progress made in art and 
deceit, that the child has been able to elude pa- 
rental inquiry. This can hardly happen with a 
watchful parent, while his child is under his own 




274 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

roof. Perhaps the downward course has been 
began upon, when a child is at a distant school, 
college, or in a place of business, preparing for 
manhood. If a parent has placed a child where he 
cannot superintend him, or with those who do not 
undertake to do this, or with those who do not su- 
perintend, though they undertake to do so, the pa- 
rent is not excused, because others are in fault. A 
child who is sent aw r ay from home, is, as the world 
now is, always sent into some hazard. The hazard 
is, when least, that the preceptor, guardian, and 
master, may be deceived. The seductions may be 
such as to plunge a boy into ruin, even before those 
who see him daily, and who mean to do their duty, 
have the least intimation of it. There must be 
error, then, somewhere. It is believed to he in society 
itself. If those who can order what society shall be ? 
permit the means of moral ruin to grow up, and 
flourish among them, they may mourn, and call it 
a bad world, if they please, but they ought not to 
charge Providence with their sufferings. 

368. In all large cities, towns, and even in villages, 
there are some persons, who live and thrive in 
whole, or in part, by aiding young persons to ruin 
themselves, and to make life itself a burthen to 
parents. These persons are well skilled in the arts 
of seduction. They cannot go, and put their hands 
into a father's, or a master's pocket, and take 
thence what they covet. But they know how to put 
other hands there. They know what appetites to 
awaken, what desires to create ; and how to culti- 
vate them, and make them deep rooted, and firm, 
so that no wind of conscience, can blow them over. 
They know what the fruits will be to them. Those 
who have been, by such means, withdrawn from 
the paths of innocence and virtue, and who have 
succeeded in stifling the cries of conscience, strive 
to add to their degraded number. They place 
temptations before the unsuspecting, and lead them 
on ; and thus one plausible young villian is enough 
to seduce, and poison a whole generation. 

369. This mournful course of seduction, profli- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 275 

gacy, and crime, is called by some persons, the 
natural evils of society. Such persons are poorly 
instructed. They are as clearly mere moral evils, 
as murder is a crime These are to be charged 
upon the parents themselves. Who are they who 
vote, and legislate in a free country ? Do not they 
make the laws, which send the accused to prison, 
and felons to the gallows ? Cannot these persons 
declare, by their laws, that their children shall not 
be seduced, and physically, intellectually and morally 
ruined before their eyes ? Are not social communi- 
ties instituted to declare and to enforce, obedience 
to the laws of nature, and of the Deity ? Have they 
not the poicer to do, what this high Authority com- 
mands to be done ? This power does exist, and is 
exercised on many subjects of insignificant charac- 
ter, compared with these. Suppose the legislative 
authority should declare it to be an infamous crime, to 
receive a minor into certain places ; and to take his 
money, or give him credit, for horses and carriages 
on the Sabbath, what social right would be thereby 
violated ? Has any member of society a rights by 
any law divine, natural, or human, to help an igno- 
rant, or perverse child, to ruin himself, for the 
reason that one can get a living by such means ? If 
these contemners of parental hope and right, were 
to rob a parent, even to his last shilling, this could 
be endured. They would have taken that which 
came from the earth ; and something of like value, 
can, by industry, be drawn from the earth again. 
But who can purify a corrupted heart ; restore to 
sanity, a perverted and bewildered mind ; or, cleanse 
the body from the leprosy of vice ! It cannot be 
doubted, that every civil community, has the power, 
and the right, to take all such measures as will best 
secure the ends, and purposes, for which it was in- 
stituted. If, then, the trustees of this power, per- 
vert and abuse it; if they ignorantly, or wilfully 
neglect, or refuse to take the good which is allowed 
to them, they ought, at least, not to add impiety to 
their transgressions, and charge the Creator, with 
their own follies and sins. 
25* 



276 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

•Misfortune, Sickness* and Death. 

370. We have, at length, found, if they are to be 
found, the causes of natural evil. There can be, it 
is said, no ignorant or voluntary immorality, in mis- 
fortunes, sickness, or death. It is as easy, 

■ To vindicate the wa)<s of God to man,' 

on these subjects as on any others. What are mis- 
fortunes ? They are said to be the happening of 
some unexpected event, which could not be fore- 
seen nor prevented. How many of those events 
which do happen, could be foreseen or prevented ? 
Let it be supposed that the inhabitants of a closely 
settled town, are engaged in rendering their due 
homage to the Creator. A single spark emitted 
from a chimney, or the taking fire in the soot of a 
chimney, or the using of light combustibles for a 
lawful and commendable purpose, begins a conflagra- 
tion, which reduces that town to ashes. The most 
complicated suffering and distress, accompany, and 
follow in the train of this evil. Fire will undoubt- 
edly consume. This is a law of nature. That law 
has shown its application in this case. Is this, 
therefore, a natural evil ? Most clearly it is a mor- 
al evil. It may be one, however, so entirely free 
from all intentional wrong, as to command the most 
sincere sympathy, and charity. Yet it is a moral 
evil. Fire was given to serve ; not to tyrannize, 
and ruin. It can be commanded. The very giving 
it an opportunity to tyrannize, and destroy, is a 
moral evil. There might have been, by human 
agency, such a course of conduct as would have 
prevented the original cause of the evil. Care and 
foresight are required of the several members of 
society for their own good, and for the good of oth- 
ers. But would not such extreme caution, make 
life a slavery ? Certainly not. Life was given for 
action, and for use, and to preserve all things ne- 






MORAL CLASS BOOK. 277 

cessary for use. Is it best to observe this law, or to 
have one's town made a desolate ruin ? 

371. A ship is struck by lightning at sea, and set 
on fire. The ship's company do every thing that 
courage, strength, and intelligence can do, to *ex- 
tinguish the fire, and save the ship. They find it 
impossible ; they then obey another law, which 
commands to do the greatest good to themselves 
which is possible. They escape from their burning 
ship in their boats. They are overwhelmed by the 
sea, or starved to death. No human exertion could 
prevent this mournful catastrophe. Is not this a 
natural evil ? This is the operation of a general law, 
which happened to occasion loss of property, and 
of life. Suppose the ship to have been where she 
should be ; and that all wise precautions had been 
taken to prevent the injurious action of the electric 
fluid on her ; still the destruction is not a natural 
evil, unless one be prepared to say, that the Deity 
erred, in providing in his creation, for the action of 
this fluid. Surely this fluid never acts but for pur- 
poses consistent with infinite wisdom, and divine 
benevolence. It may be a far more efficient agent 
in the material world, than human research has yet 
been able to disclose. The ship owner, and the 
navigators, may have been unfortunate, that the 
ship, and its company, were at that spot, at that 
time. But no one will contend that the electric fluid 
must not act, because it sometimes destroys proper- 
ty, and life. 

372. A child falls, and its limbs are thereby 
broken ; its spine is deranged, and it becomes a 
hump-backed cripple for life. This is very far from 
being a natural evil. Some one was greatly to 
blame in permitting a child to be in such a situation, 
that such an accident could happen to it. But be- 
cause this, and similar sorrowful misfortunes may 
happen, are we to suspend the laws of gravitation ? 
Let one imagine, if he can, what would be the ef- 
fect of such suspension. Our duty is to know what 
these general laws are, and to provide, as in most 
cases we may, against their injurious effect. It is 



278 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

not an uncommon occurrence in this country, that 
the passengers in a stage coach, are terrified, 
maimed, or killed. It has become almost fashiona- 
ble to scatter the limbs, take off the skins, and take 
away the lives of passengers in steam-boats. Such 
things are not only not natural evils ; they are mor- 
al evils that are clearly crimes. Suppose the imme- 
diate agents in such scenes, whose duty it is to take 
care, were indicted, when death happens, ought 
they not to be convicted ? Suppose proprietors 
of public coaches and steam-boats, were sued for 
damages, in cases where death does not happen, 
ought they not to be held to pay them ? The ground 
on which such evils are crimes, is this : — reasonable 
precaution, and care, would certainly prevent these 
evils. The neglect of such precaution and care, 
whereby persons, who are lawfully following their 
vocations, are deprived of life, or otherwise serious- 
ly injured, ought to be regarded as malicious intent.* 

373. Sickness and disease are commonly regarded 
as natural evils. Some persons die from original 
feebleness of constitution. This may, perhaps, 
arise from some moral wrong, if it were traced back 
to its origin. It probably did so arise. The power 
of connecting cause and effect, does not permit such 
matters, in the present state of information, to be 
clearly understood. It is well known that many 
inherited evils flow from immorality. It is much 
more rational to suppose, that this is frequently so, 
from some error, or short-sightedness, which fur- 
ther progress in science may prevent, than that the 
Deity errs in the formation of man, since no such 
mistakes are discerned elsewhere in his works. 

374. If all cases of sickness could be examined 
and compared, it would surprise one to find, how 
large a proportion of them arise from ignorance, in- 

* It was the pleasure of the great Frederick of Prussia, to make his 
soldiers wear great cocked hats on parade ; these were often blown off 
by the wind. He ordered that hats should not be blown oif ; but the 
wind did not regard this order. He then ordered, that every soldier 
who lost his hat, should immediately receive forty lashes in front of his 
regiment. After that order, the wind lost its power, and no hat was 
blown off. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 279 

discretion, folly, and crime. It might be useful to 
show what these are ; but this would require, not 
one, but many volumes. The following very com- 
mon occurrence, may be taken as an example. An 
accomplished well educated female, knows how to 
clothe herself to meet the severity of our winter 
climate. She conforms to her knowledge, and keeps 
herself well. She is bidden to a fashionable party. 
She throws off her warm garments, dresses herself 
in thin apparel, so far as this extends, leaving parts 
of her person, not only without dress, but indecently 
naked. She proceeds to a crowded apartment, and 
soon breathes an atmosphere fit only for vermin. 
She engages in the dance, and under the joint ef- 
fects of artificial, and animal heat, and her own ac- 
tion, the veins, arteries, and minutest vessels of her 
frame, are expanded, to the utmost. In this state, 
and without any protection but a shawl, she goes 
forth into the cold midnight air. Her lungs must 
breathe this air ; and her whole system undergoes 
a violent contraction. She returns shivering to her 
apartment. The next day she has c a cold ; ' the 
next week a cough ; the lungs cannot endure the 
shock they have received ; they yield to natural 
law, and become the seat of disease. This is the 
common case of consumption, and in a 'little month' 
this blooming, happy child of fashion, is gone from 
the earth. Is this a natural or a moral evil ? The 
world says it is a natural evil ; and bereaved parents 
call on their friends for tears of sympathy. 

375. There is a kind of bodily pain and suffering, 
which is universally considered to be natural evil. 
This arises from rheumatism, gout, fevers, wens, 
cancers, and the formation of substances in the cav- 
ities of the body, &c. In such, and similar cases, 
there may be remedies, and there certainly may be 
alleviations, which would essentially diminish af- 
flictions. It is said that such evils cannot be fore- 
seen nor prevented, but are inevitable, and prove 
the misery to which human nature is sometimes 
subjected. It is assuming a great deal to say, that 
the causes of such evils will never be so far under- 



280 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 






stood, as that they can be prevented. If we con- 
trast the science of physics, at this day, with what 
it was in former times, such assertions are not 
rational. What has become of leprosy, of many 
horrible cutaneous diseases, of the small pox? 
What have the discoveries, and inventions in 
chemistry, and of the action of matter upon matter, 
already made known? How much have art and 
science accomplished? Is all done, that ever can 
bedone ? Comparative tabular records demonstrate, 
that human life is more enduring, at this day, than 
it has been, in any modern age of the world. As 
science, morality, and virtue diffuse their beneficial 
influence, this will, undoubtedly, become more and 
more so, unless nature be capable of fraud and 
deceit. It is at least probable, that most of the 
diseases alluded to, if not all of them, arise from 
some moral wrong; that is, froui some ignorance, 
or disregard of rules prescribed to our order of 
being. Where there is not some physical, and 
incurable defect, as old as the subject in which it 
appears, disease must be generated by some neg- 
lect, or abuse, known, or unknown to the suffer- 
er. A cancer may arise from diseased circulation 
of the blood. That may be caused by making bad 
blood from unsuitable food ; or from local injury, 
perhaps, by which proper circulation is impeded. 
It is incredible, if this be so, that there can be no 
prevention. A cancer resembles vegetable produc- 
tion. Will not science, at some time, detect the 
seed, and be able to extract it? That agonizing 
disease L the stone,' is, undoubtedly, a concretion 
of substances, which being brought to act on each 
other, obey the laws of nature, and form a body in 
a place in which human nerves are necessarily 
acted upon. Will not science find out how these 
substances acquire their qualities, and how to 
keep them apart, or neutralize them? But a much 
more interesting question is, whether it will not, at 
some time be demonstrated, that such evils spring 
from some violation of the laws of nature. 



MORAV CLASS BOOK. 281 

376. There is a very numerous class of persons, 
who suffer severely from what are considered to be 
natural evils. The employments of these persons 
require them to sit while they work. They are of 
both sexes. It includes students as well as those 
who labor with the hands. They bend over their 
work, and continue, a long time together, in an un- 
natural position. The action of the vital organs is 
impeded. Their powers are gradually impaired. 
By some sort of consequent illness, the lives of such 
persons are shortened. Long before their de- 
parture, life becomes almost worthless to them- 
selves, and themselves a burthen to others. Until 
it be proved that it is impracticable, by very simple 
contrivances, to bring one's work up to the eyes, 
instead of taking the eyes down to one's work ; and 
until it can be shown, that occasional counteracting 
motion, in an upright and natural position, cannot 
be had, such kinds of evils are not to be charged 
upon nature. 

377. There is one evil which falls as heavily, and 
is as distressing, as any that can be named, and 
which is regarded as one in which religious resigna- 
tion, and the balm of time, afford the only consola- 
tion and relief. It is the loss of amiable and vir- 
tuous children. When n*o parental ignorance nor 
error, occasions this affliction, and when ert and 
science are baffled, it is not proved, nor to be 
assumed, that the system of being is wrong. It is 
true that the affections, implanted in the human 
heart, for the wisest and kindest of purposes, re- 
ceive an insupportable wound. The great object of 
parental life seems to be defeated. The staff and 
comfort of old age, are broken, and destroyed. 
Yet, what has happened? Death is to come to 
everything that lives. It may come sooner or later. 
If every one knew the moment in which he is to 
die, he would live under the sentence of death, 
however long he might live. In itself, death is no 
evil. Yet, there could be no living if there were 
no dying. These truths furnish no consolation to a 
bereaved parent. There must be a certain number 



232 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

of deaths ; but when, and how they shall occur, 
(when ignorance and folly do not increase the num- 
ber,) is in wiser government, than human sensibili- 
ty can suggest. 

378. The deportment of the living, when dis- 
tressing bereavements happen, and the mariner in 
which the dead shall be disposed of, is to be 
governed by reason. A departure from what rea- 
son suggests, is a cause of common suffering. The 
remains of the dead belong to the earth. A very 
touching, long continued sympathy from the world, 
in general, is not to be expected on such occasions ; 
if i.t exist at all it is slight, and transient. Nor is 
this to be complained of; if all must mourn when 
one mourns, it would be truly a mournful world. 
By a natural, but irrational association, feeling and 
sensibility are still imagined to reside in the dead. 
There is no longer anything in them, and they 
should be respectfully, but tranquilly, consigned to 
the bosom from which they came. But, vanity, 
and a mistaken estimate of duty and propriety, 
make of what should be a simple and natural ac- 
cordance with the order of nature, and the will of 
its author, either an absurd ostentation, or a 
grievous and unnecessary affliction to the living, or 
both together. It is not a religious duty to assem- 
ble a mourning family, and its immediate con- 
nexions, and in the solemnity of prayer, to h-arrow 
up their souls, as is sometimes done. If life is a 
blessing, if the gift of children is of the Deity, it 
would better become us, when a glad mother has first 
beheld the new subject of her cares, and affections, 
then to address the Benefactor whom we reverence, 
in the language of gratitude and praise. Why 
should sobbing, and heart-broken relatives follow 
the deceased to the crave? Is not this adding some- 
thing, unnecessarily, to the griefs of life? There 
are always near and dear friends who can perform 
these duties. But, we apprehend that widows, and 
female children derive no consolation from this 
ceremony, which is to be measured against the 
agony which it occasions. Is it not irrational to 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 283 

regard death as is commonly done? Are not the 
fine feelings of our nature called into service to 
make of death, that which it is not ? The innocent, 
the virtuous, and the pious, have no fear to die. 
Why, then, should it be dressed up in terrors, 
shrouded in mysteries, and made to be frightful, 
any more than other events, in ihe common order 
of the natural world ? It is to the wicked and im- 
pious only, that death should be terrible. # 

379. The following remarks may be well worth 
the attention of considerate persons. 

c Mourning Apparel. A sensible writer in the 
Connecticut Observer states the following objec- 
tions to the foolish fashion, which has so long pre- 
vailed in relation to mourning apparel : 

c 1 . As a general practice it is no real expression 
of grief for the loss of our friends, nor is it so con- 
sidered. It is adopted by all classes ; by the cove- 
tous heir, whose heart beats with joy at any event 
which puts him in possession of his idol, as well as 
by those who are affected with the purest emotions 
of genuine sorrow. An English writer has remarked 
that " the very time that a man shall mourn, and 
the very time that he shall half mourn, and the 
very time he shall cease to mourn, are fixed for 
him by the world, whatever may be the duration of 
his own sorrow ! " 

'2. It is no mark of respect for departed relatives. 
The dark habiliments are assumed, whether the de- 
ceased was virtuous or vicious, honest or fraudulent, 
sober or intemperate ; whether he was a man or a 
fool, a Christian or an infidel, a blessing or a curse 
to society. 

4 3. It imparts no consolation to the bosom of sor- 
row. It alleviates not the wo which flows from a 

* In one of the accounts of George Washington's]^ moments, the 
scene is represented thus : Every thing that professional skill could do 
having failed to relieve Washington, his attendants remained silent spec- 
tators at his bedside. Perceiving that they were painfully affected at his 
situation, and could not suppress their tears, he said, with a complacent 
smile, ' / am dying, gentlemen ; but, thank God ! I am not afraid 
to die.' 

26 



284 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

bereaved heart. It offers no balm to its wounds. 
It equally fails to assuage excessive grief, and to 
excite that which is proper. 

< 4. As a memento of departed worth it is super- 
fluous. The heart of true friendship needs it not; 
the object of its affection is engraven there too 
deeply to be effaced. The mock mourner is unaf- 
fected by its sable hue. 

£ 5. It conveys no moral or religious instruction to 
the mind. It excites no mourning for sin ; no sub- 
mission to God ; no parting with the world ; no de- 
sires for heaven. Neither the solemn realities of 
the scene of death, nor the affecting and admonito- 
ry truths of the word of God, can be enforced by 
it. 

c Our objections to the custom are founded prin- 
cipally on its positive evils : 

' 1 . It is extravagant, and absorbs a large amount 
of funds which might be appropriated to far more 
useful purposes. 

' 2. It presents strong temptation to pride and 
dishonesty, and has often robbed the widow and 
fatherless of their bread, and the creditor of his 
due. 

1 3. It is a violation of the command, " Be ye not 
conformed to this world.'' 

' 4. It diverts the attention from the voice of the 
Almighty in his instructive Providence. It occu- 
pies the mind, as well as the hands in that solemn 
period, which is so peculiarly favorable for the soul 
to retire within itself and contemplate its character 
and destiny.' 

If such changes should be made as the good sense 
of these remarks calls for, those who make the law 
of fashion, and who can decide as to what shall be 
imitated, must begin. 









MORAL CLASS BOOK. 285 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Civil Society. 

DUTIES. 

380. Why should one man have a better house, 
more land, better garments, and better food than 
another? Why should one man have things con- 
venient, comfortable, or even luxurious, without la- 
bor, while another must work all the day to obtain 
things of the first necessity ? Why should not any 
one take and use whatsoever he sees ; why should 
one pay money to make roads which he never 
passes over ; and to maintain schools to which he 
sends no child ; or to support paupers, who are en- 
tirely unknown to him ? Why should a few men 
assemble, debate, and make laws, which other men 
are to judge of, and apply ; and still other men ex- 
ecute, or carry into effect ? Can it be right that 
one, or three or four men, should have power to 
deprive hundreds, in the course of a few years, of 
their natural liberty, and even to condemn some of 
them to death ? Is it not much more agreeable to 
natural justice, that every one who thinks himself 
injured, should be his own judge of right and wrong, 
and inflict such punishment as he thinks proper, 
on the transgressor ? 

381. Writers on natural law, would answer such 
questions by saying, that all men are, by nature, 
free to do as they dare, or please to do ; and that 
each one is independent of all others, and governed 
by no law but fear, or force. This, such writers 
call, the state of nature. That men, being in such 
state, found from experience, or anticipated, that 
it would be better for them to make a contract, 
or social compact, each one with all the others, 
to enter into a state of society, and give up some of 
these natural rights, and to become civilized. If 
this theory is sound, when did the people of Massa- 
chusetts, for example, leave the state of nature, and 



286 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

enter into that of society ? Was it when the Pil- 
grims landed ? Were the Pilgrims in a state of na- 
ture ? They were not when they left their native 
land, and they were undoubtedly civilized, while 
they were on the ocean, and after they found the 
shore. The contract must be sought further back. 
Was it made by those from whom the Pilgrims may 
have been descended, that is, by the Normans, the 
Saxons, the Danes, or the Britons, by each 'of whom 
England was (in whole or in part) successively 
possessed ? Suppose one could arrive at a time 
when any barbarous people entertained an opin- 
ion, that it was best for them to change from their 
natural condition to a social one, how did they effect 
their object ? What was the form, and substance, of 
the contract ? It is difficult to suppose that authors 
so eminent, intended to be literally understood. 
It is more respectful to them to believe, that they 
intended only an illustrative fiction, which having 
been literally understood has led to some confusion. 
382. It is not easy to comprehend what is in- 
tended by a state of nature as distinguished from a 
state of society. There cannot be a congregation 
of human beings, called a nation, a people, a tribe, 
or horde, however rude and barbarous they may be, 
who have not some sort of chiefs, rulers, and judges. 
The rudest horde have some sense of right and 
wrong as social beings ; it has some rules, habits 
and customs, as between its members, and as be- 
tween the whole horde, and similar congregations 
of persons. As a whole, the members must have 
some sense of the necessity of union to defend them- 
selves from injury, and to obtain redress for wrongs. 
If the native Indians of our own country be taken 
for an illustration, every one will admit, that when 
our ancestors came over, these natives were in a 
state of nature, if there ever was such a state. But 
every one knows, that they had their rulers, their 
laws, their customs, their own sense of right and 
wrong, and of justice, and of property. If an Indian 
of one tribe, slew an Indian of another, justice de- 
manded that the offender, or some one of his tribe 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 287 

should die. There must be blood for blood. If the 
cornfield of one tribe was plundered by another, 
reparation must be made., or war ensued. The na- 
tives had their rules of making war, and of estab- 
lishing peace. There were rules as to captives. 
It is not perceived why such a state of things does 
not make society. Hence it is inferred that society 
is natural to man, and that no human being ever 
did contract to pass from a state of nature, into a 
state of society, any more than he contracted for 
his share of the running waters to slake his thirst, 
or for his share of the atmosphere to keep his lungs 
in motion. He cannot prevent being in society, 
whether he contract to be so, or not. The difference 
between the rudest horde, and the most polished 
nation, is, that the one has made no perceptible im- 
provement on original condition, while the other has 
made all the improvement which contrasts its present 
condition, with its original one. This change may 
have been gradually made, during many successive 
ages, and through numberless generations ; millions 
may have appeared, and disappeared, while the 
change has been going on. Thus it seems that man, 
can make out of society, as he can make out of him- 
self, whatsoever will, wisdom, means, and opportu- 
nities permit. 

383. In every condition in which man has been 
seen, he has been found to have the like wants, 
desires, and passions, which are seen in the most 
refined nations. The means of gratifying these 
natural propensities are very different, in different 
stages of improvement. The love of ornament, and 
of personal decoration, which are observed in an 
Indian princess, is precisely the same passion which 
is disclosed in the dress of a belle in a Parisian sa- 
loon. The leading* nassions of the Indian Teecum- 
seh, and of the French Napoleon, were the same. 
The one wanted as much empire over civilized na- 
tions as the highest improvement of the military 
art could give him ; the other wanted as much em- 
pire over the inhabitants of the forest, as the scalp- 
ing knife, and tomahawk, could give him. 
26* 





288 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

384. As society improves, new objects of desire, 
and new means of gratification arise, and new rights 
accrue. Rights imply the possibility of wrongs. 
Rights and wrongs suggest remedies. Remedies 
imply rules or laws, and means of enforcing them. 
What is- the difference in principle between the 
rudest, and the most refined society ? The difference 
of mode in applying the principle, may be very great; 
and may be very unlike among nations pretending 
to equal refinement ; but no difference is discerned in 
the principle, from the rudest to the most polished. 

385. It has often been said, and by persons enti- 
tled to great respect, that society was instituted 
merely to protect property. If God placed mankind upon 
the earth merely to acquire, and to use property, 
this saying may be true ; otherwise it is not. It is 
believed that they were placed here for the purpose 
of acquiring, and using property ; and, also, for 
many other purposes, without the accomplishment 
of which, property would be of no value. They 
were placed here, in social connexion, to cultivate 
physical, intellectual, and moral power, for purposes 
which have no connexion with money, nor with 
any thing that money can buy. Social rules or 
laws, and the administration of them, or, in other 
words, civil governments, are not framed for the sole 
purpose of taking care of property, but for the melio- 
ration and improvement of social welfare. To these 
latter objects they have not been directed, in any 
proportion, to the good that might be done. Among 
the improvements which society will attain to, will 
be legislation, not to punish crimes, but to prevent 
them ; not to relieve pauperism, but to root it out of 
society ; not to provide a house of correction for the 
intemperate, but to make drunkenness impractica- 
ble. As to property, its true design is supposed to be 
this : The Deity made man, and all the elements of 
property for his use. Man must use these elements. 
Originally, he might take and appropriate any of 
them, to his own use, provided he did not prevent 
others from doing the like, who had the like necessi- 
ty that he had. When any one had taken and appro- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK- 289 

priated anything to his own use, and especially if he 
has modified it, by his own labor, for his own use, it 
became his own, to the exclusion of all right, or pre- 
tension of right, in any other person. Thus an Indian 
has a property in his bow and arrow, in his war club, 
in his deer skin, in his wigwam, which is as perfect 
a right as the inhabitant of a city has to his domi- 
cil, and the furniture therein. There are Indian 
laws and customs, which regulate the acquiring, 
the use, and the exchange of property ; and there 
are laws and customs, in civilized and polished na- 
tions, to the same ends. The inventions and im- 
provements which are seen in polished society, 
make no change in the principle of property. In 
either case it is man, savage or civilized, as the case 
may be, using elements of property, made more or 
less suitable for use, by human ingenuity and indus- 
try. In either case, it is using property, within the 
protection of some acknowledged rule of right, how- 
ever rude or perfect that rule may be. When any- 
country has made a certain progress in improve- 
ment, everything within it., whether natural or arti- 
ficial, has an owner. There are some things which 
cannot be owned by any one person, as a navigable 
river, an arm of the sea. The right of property in 
these, is in the people collectively, or in its civil 
rulers for them, or in the nation. The ocean, in 
like manner, cannot be owned by one nation. It 
belongs equally to all nations, and all have a right 
to move on it, just as the inhabitants of a country 
have a right to move on a river, or on an arm of 
the sea. Hence, it is plain, that there is no state 
of nature for man ; unless one could go back to the 
first family that ever existed, and before they had 
begun to be any better than brutes ; a case incon- 
sistent with historical accounts. 

386. If the aforegoing views be admitted, they 
show, that society is man's natural state ; that so- 
ciety implies laws, and rulers ; and the ministra- 
tion of laws by some sort of authority. It tends, 
not at all, to impair the force of these truths, that 
mankind are known to have been as miserable as 



290 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 











history shows them to have been, in their social 
connexion. This fact proves, that there must be 
government, while it proves, also, that there may 
be very bad government. Why has this been so ? 
Many causes have combined to keep man in igno- 
rance of the laws intended for his welfare, or to 
make him a rebel against these laws when known. 
Among these causes may be enumerated, the propen- 
sity which mankind have shown to engage in war 
To attack, or defend, requires unity of action ; this 
requires the direction of physical force (comprised in 
a great number of individuals) by the superior skill 
of one, or a few. When one man has conducted 
many, through perilous adventures ; or has enabled 
them to defend themselves successfully, against im- 
minent peril, he is held to be a superior being. His 
will becomes the law ; his adherents find their pas- 
sions gratified under his guidance. They are arm- 
ed, united, combined. They have unity of action. 
They have superior knowledge, and bring knowl- 
edge to operate on fear, or ignorance. Thus, a few 
armed, intelligent, and united men, can keep great 
numbers in awe. Hence one reads of oppression, 
tyranny, cruelty. From such simple elements 
kingdoms, and empires, have grown up ; and kings 
and emperors, who must, like all other earthly be- 
ings, obey the law of natural succession, have left 
to their descendants, the dominion which they had 
acquired. Another cause of human misery is the 
perversion of religion. There have always been men, 
throughout the world, (it was so among the Indians 
of this country) who by their superior skill, or learn- 
ing, have assumed to stand between the gods and 
men, and who could promise, and assure, not only 
good or evil in this life, but in a life to come. This 
is seen, not only in Egyptian, Babylonian, Grecian, 
and Roman history, but in the history of Christian 
nations, as strikingly as in any. At this very hour, 
out of the 800,000,000 of beings who dwell on the 
earth, what proportion of them are blindly submis- 
sive to the tyranny of some sort of Priesthood ! 
Military chieftains, and the ministers of the gods, 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 291 

have united their powers for their own common 
good. They have needed civil rulers to aid them in 
their purposes, and these have needed, military pow- 
er, and priestcraft, to aid them. Hence privileged 
orders, and noble, and princely families, are seen in 
the world. There are not a few who think, that 
such an order of things is best adapted to human 
welfare ; that mankind are incapable of any better 
order. The number of those who entertain an en- 
tirely different opinion, is increasing. They think 
that such causes of inequality, and misery, are 
founded in ignorance, and that ignorance can be 
dispelled ; and that this beneficent work is going 
on successfully. 

387. The young, who are soon to become citizens, 
are earnestly invited to consider, by what course 
of events it is, that they are blessed with an unex- 
ampled portion of rational civil liberty. They do 
not, as a great part of those who dwell on the earth 
do, derive their social, political, and religious con- 
dition from the joint acts of successful military 
chiefs, cunning priests, and dependant and subservi- 
ent judges. Far otherwise. Their fathers dared 
to be free. They threw off, in a manly and glorious 
struggle, all the shackles, which the customs, and 
habits of ages, had imposed. They acknowledged 
no superior to themselves, but the Deity. They 
had to form anew, the natural elements of social 
life, into a rational government. They were not 
passing from u a state of nature " into a " state of 
society." They had the light of experience, the 
collected wisdom of ages, the light of their own 
minds ; the consciousness that they were acting, 
not for themselves only, but for successive millions. 
They knew that they should soon pass away ; that 
their fame might be held in grateful remembrance; 
but, above all, that they were trustees, who must 
soon render an account of their trust before their 
Creator. It is proved, that they lacked neither in- 
tegrity, nor wisdom. The prosperity of the country, 
which they rescued from unjust dominion, shows, 
what they intended, and what they effected. 



292 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Civil Society, Its form, in the United States. 

388. The theory of human society as established 
in the United States, is this : All men are born free 
and equal. # All men have the right to improve 
their physical, intellectual, and moral powers. All 
persons have the right to acquire, to use, and to 
enjoy. All persons have aright to dispose, in any 
manner which they think best, of whatsoever they 
lawfully possess. Every one may choose for him- 
self his own religious opinions, and may worship 
God in whatsoever manner his conscience may dic- 
tate. Lawful industry is permitted to every mem- 
ber of society, in any business or calling, which he 
thinks himself qualified for, and in which he can 
benefit himself. There are no restrictive rules in 
this behalf, which the good sense of the whole com- 
munity has not approved. Every citizen may pass 
throughout the whole extent of this great country 
in perfect protection, and security, (so far as human 
laws are concerned) and everyone who is a citizen in 
one state, is a citizen in most respects in every other. 
He may dwell, and follow his vocations, in whatso- 
ever part of the country he chooses, and may depart 
for a time, or entirely, at his own will. He may have 
a home, and all the benefits of home, wheresoever 
he chooses, according to his ability, and his own 
qualities. He is, everywhere, entitled to protection, 
in his life, in his person, in the members of his fam- 
ily, in his calling, in his property, and in his good 
name. He is free to decide for himself, for whom 
he will vote for all public offices. If he is wronged, 
he has a right to justice in a peaceable manner, 
freely, completely, promptly., and without delay. 
If accused, he has the right to meet his accuser 
face to face, in an open court of justice ; and he 
cannot be deprived of his life, his liberty, his prop- 

* See note on Slavery, at the end of the volume. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 293 

erty, or benefits of citizenship, by any judicial sen- 
tence, unless an impartial jury shall have first in- 
quired, and on their solemn oath pronounced, that he 
is justly charged. Notwithstanding the great number 
oi judges who are in office in the twenty-four state 
sovereignties, and in that of the nation, instances 
of partiality, or unworthiness, in the administration 
of justice, even in the moments of high party ex- 
citement, are hardly known. Justice may be said 
never to loosen the bandage over her eyes, so that 
she can see, and distinguish the suitors, who appear 
in her temple. Every one whose industry, or 
whose accidental fortune, has possessed him of 
property, may order, to whom it shall go at his 
decease, after doing justice to all fair claims on him. 
There can be no better political condition for man, than that 
of an American citizen. 

389. But under what circumstances and provisos 
is it held ? 1. — That he shall do to others, as he 
would that others should do to him. 2. That he 
shall so use his own, as not to injure others, nor 
anything that belongs to others. 3. That he shall 
obey the laws of the land ; shall render his reason- 
able pers nal service, when lawfully required ; pay 
his proportion of all public charges, and taxes ; and 
perform all the proper duties of a citizen. Suppose 
that the public laws are found to operate inconve- 
niently on a particular citizen, and to restrain him 
from doing acts which he desires to do, why should 
he obey them ? Because the system of rules and 
laws, which have been made to regulate the com- 
mon welfare, was made by himself. He answers 
that he did not make the laws. It may be true, that 
he did not act personally, in the making of the laws ; 
but he did, or might have acted personally, with oth- 
ers, in electing those by whom the laws were made ; 
and the elected had the right, and it was their 
duty, to make laws according to the form of Gov- 
ernment to which he. must be held to have assented, 
and which must continue in force until the power, 
(that of the whole people) by which it was created, 
sees fit to change it. But he does not like the laws. 






294 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

Then he must try to have legislators chosen, who 
can change the laws by exercising the like authori- 
ty by which they were made. It turns out that this 
cannot be done, because a majority of those who 
are sent to make the laws, do not find that they re- 
quire change or amendment. The complainant is, 
then, in a minority of the whole number,andhe must 
submit, because the will of the majority, legally ex- 
pressed, must be the supreme rale in legislation, or 
society would have as many contradictory rules, as 
there may be different opinions, and would soon 
fall into incurable confusion. What is to be done, 
if the legislative power should make an intolerable 
law ; and if after one, or more elections of new 
lawmakers, the law is neither repealed, nor 
amended? The presumption would be, that the 
law was not such as supposed by those who think 
it intolerable, and that from some cause, the dissat- 
isfied were mistaken in their opinion, as to the 
want of power to make such law, or as to its utili- 
ty, when made; yet, they determine to resist the 
execution of the law, and actually do so. In such 
case, those to whom the powers of preserving the 
government itself. , no less than the powers of admin- 
istering it justly, are given, must see that the law 
is executed ; and must pursue those measures to 
that end, which the lawful modes of action require. 
390. Doubtless there may be laws which are un- 
just, intolerable, and even tyrannical ; for popular 
assemblies are made up of men. Aware of this, 
the wisdom of our patriots provided, that when a 
law is denied to be such as the legislative authority 
could make, that point must be settled by judges of 
proper judicial tribunals, on argument, and solemn 
deliberation. If these judges find the law to have 
been within the legislative authority, it remains in 
force, and must be obeyed ; if not, they declare it 
is not a law, and it is void and of no effect. This is 
a provision peculiar to the American Governments, 
and is a truly excellent one. But suppose the dis- 
satisfied will not resort to the opinion of the judges, 
but choose to judge for themselves, and resolve to 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 295 

resist the law, violence must follow. If the dissatisfied 
cannot prevail, by force of arms, against the force 
of the Government, but are vanquished, they 
must be treated and punished as rebels. If they 
can succeed, it is revolution, and some other form 
of Government must arise. The patriots of this 
country, sixty years ago, resisted the whole power 
of Great Britian, because they thought the laws 
imposed upon them, were unjust and tyrannical. 
War ensued. It might have turned out to be rebel- 
lion, or revolution. It was God's will, and their 
own will, that it should be revolution. The highest 
trust ever confided to mortals, thereby, devolved on 
the American people ; that of doing as they please for 
their own good. 

391. The wisdom of our Fathers led them to 
propose written constitutions, which the whole people 
deliberately considered, and adopted. These con- 
stitutions provide, that laws shall be made by per- 
sons elected by the People to make them ; that 
they shall be applied to the transactions of men, in 
their various civil duties ; that when any breach of 
law is alleged, it shall be tried, or ascertained, whe- 
ther there be a breach or not, by, or in the presence 
of, judges ; that when any sentence or judgment 
is to be carried into effect, this shall be done by the 
Executive Power, which is charged with the duty 
of taking care that all laws are executed. The 
same constitutions provide, that the powers of one 
branch, shall never be exercised by any other 
branch. 

392. One would think, that this beautiful theory, 
might easily be carried into effect. How plain it 
is, that nothing more is necessary, than for the 
people to choose from among their number, the 
most wise and faithful to legislate ; and the most 
capable, and upright, for the executive power ; 
and that this would ensure the appointment of the 
most learned and upright judges. Unhappily this 
does not always so prove to be, in practice. All the 
evils which are seen in the political action of this 
country, arise from ignorance, and dishonesty. 

27 



\ 



296 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

One would suppose that such causes of evil might 
be prevented. 

393. There is a popular saying in the United 
States, which is borrowed from the constitutional 
maxim in England, that the King, or Sovereign, 
can do no wrongs whatsoever he may do. It is truly 
said here, that the people are sovereign ; and then 
it is said to follow, that the people can do no wrong. 
The people are many individuals. One person may 
do wrong, so also may many. Many are more 
likely to do wrong than one ; for they are subject to 
strong, and sudden impulses. They act without 
the responsibility which attaches to one. If many 
take an erroneous impulse, they encourage each 
other in the common error. One man alone, thinks 
of consequences ; a combined number do not. Their 
object is to carry their point ; and consequences 
may take care of themselves. History abounds in 
examples. But, as the people of any country cannot 
intend to do any wrong to themselves ; as our whole 
country, and all its institutions, belong to the people, 
and as they must all suffer from their own erroneous 
acts if any body suffer, how can they do wrong ? 
It is believed, that the whole people of this country, 
or those of any one of its many sovereignties, or ol 
the subdivisions of these, never intend to do any 
wrong. They may, nevertheless, err. This arises 
from the want of true and just information in the 
matter on which they act ; and that may arise from 
the personal interest, which certain persons among 
them have, to mislead them. It is incredible that 
any number of citizens should not desire to do 
right, in any affairs which materially concern them; 
equally incredible, that they should not do so, in 
fact, if their own honesty, and good sense, had 
their true and just influence among them. But 
there are, and there ever have been, in all com- 
munities, certain individuals who suppose, that 
their own good is to be found in having certain 
acts done, which are inconsistent with the good 
of the whole community. Certainly there may be 
among these individuals, many who from various 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 297 

causes are deceived themselves, and who think that 
the objects which they pursue, are proper to be 
pursued ; or they may think the objects proper, and 
that any means to obtain them, are proper ; or, they 
may well know, that both the objects and the means, 
are improper. The institutions of this country, are 
peculiarly adapted to give such individuals oppor- 
tunities to act. It is believed, that all these errors, 
and wrongs, may be referred to the two common 
causes, — ignorance of what is right, and wilful de- 
parture from right, when known. As to the first, 
there is no excuse, unless ignorance of what can, 
and ought to be known, be an excuse ; for the lat- 
ter, there is no excuse, because there is an inten- 
tional perversion of proper principles of action. 

394. It is not blamable to desire to have power 
in popular governments, that it may be usefully ap- 
plied ; it may be one's duty, under proper circum- 
stances, to entertain this desire. For power must 
be exercised by some members of the community, 
for the common good. The error seems to lie, in 
seeking power for selfish purposes, and in striving to 
obtain it, by base means. Such persons, by modes 
well understood by them, direct, w^herever they can, 
the thoughts, and the actions of their respective cir- 
cles, and unite with their fellow laborers of other 
districts, to produce the desired result. They con- 
trol the press, they discourse on the public good, 
they inspire distrust, jealousy, and ill will, towards 
opponents. Those who mean right, and take 
proper measures to effect their object, must also use 
the press, and discuss the motives, and the mea- 
sures, of their adversaries. The result is a very 
natural one, which is, that the majority is some- 
times misled, or deceived. There is, undoubtedly, 
a gross immorality somewhere, in these transac- 
tions. It is unjust to say that the evil done, is a 
mere consequence of social connexion, and insepara- 
ble from it. On the contrary, it is as clear and 
certain a violation of moral law, as it would be for 
one citizen to deprive another of reputation, or 






298 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

property, by fraud. There is retributive justice 
even in this kind of wrong. It may be slow in 
coming', but it is pretty sure to come. The commu- 
nity find out, at last, who are wise and honest, and 
who have only pretended to be so. They learn that 
the latter have practised upon the maxim, c All is 
right in politics ;' a maxim fit only for the moral per- 
ceptions of Constantinople and Pekin. The public, 
at length, reject, with the decision which becomes 
them, the maxim, and those who maintain it. 

395. If two persons engage in any unlawful 
transaction, each of them puts it in the power of 
the other, to disclose their common secret ; and 
either of them may, in some cases, make a merit of 
doing so. The danger that this will be done, in- 
creases in proportion to the numbers who are 
concerned. This well known principle may be ap- 
plied as truly in political life, as in ordinary crimi- 
nalities. Suppose any unprincipled party should, at 
any time, happen to get the power of government 
into their hands ; and suppose they should misuse 
this power ; and should attempt to fortify them- 
selves in the possession of it, by dishonorable and 
fraudulent means : In such case, there must be a 
great number of persons in the secret ; there must 
be some presses under their control ; many things 
must be said and done, which it would be ruin- 
ous to their purposes to have disclosed. But, 
as the motive to the union, was, in this, as in all 
other wrong doing, self-interest in each ; the same 
motive may, and commonly does, introduce dis- 
union. If their purposes are detected, or suspected, 
they endeavour to cast the blame on each other. 
Some of their number will court the approbation of 
an opposing party, by making known opinions, and 
facts, which will disgrace and overthrow their late 
associates. The war which arises among such 
bands of friends, has elements of hate, and ven- 
geance, which never mingle in natural, and hon- 
orable hostility. It is of little importance what be- 
comes of such politicians, provided they cease to be 
public agents. It is of immeasurable importance 




MORAL CLASS BOOK. 299 

to a self-governing community, not to elevate such 
politicians to power. Even a short reign of such 
men, tends to shake the public confidence in the 
duration of republican forms ; and even to cause 
doubts whether civil liberty was intended for man. 
398. It is not surprising that the intelligent and 
upright men of a republic, who have such adversa- 
ries to contend with, are sometimes drawn into 
error. They have a difficult, and responsible duty. 
They often see their useful and honorable purposes 
defeated by an influence, which it is as impossible 
to countervail, as to change the organs of human 
perception. They have other difficulties. When 
they are not disgusted by experience, and attracted 
to the quiet of private life, they must yield to the 
universal law of the system of being of which they 
are a part. They must move onward. There is 
no contentment in having acquired. They are 
sometimes blinded as to the character of the means, 
by which their own purposes are to be obtained. 
They come, at length, to place an inordinate value 
on what they have, and may have. They become 
anxious and agitated ; they have distressing ap- 
prehensions. They see through distorting lenses. 
In the course of the onward action, they are, some- 
times, suddenly deprived of the public favor, and 
see that others obtain it, whom they believe to be 
unworthy of it. They complain of the ingratitude 
of republics. They discern, at last, the worth, 
and the vanity, of political ambition. These things 
are evils. All together, they make up a very bad 
world ; a world in which talent and integrity may 
fail to find their reward. But after all, they are 
mere moral evils. All of them are of man's own 
making. They are not to be charged to the sys- 
tem which he belongs to, but to his own misunder- 
standing, and perversion of it. It would be happy 
for our country, happier for its statesmen, if they 
could say with an eminent judge who enlightened 
and adorned the country of our ancestors : u I wish 
popularity ; but it is that popularity which follows, 
not that which is run after ; it is that popularity 
27* 




300 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

which, sooner or later, never fails to do justice to 
the pursuit of noble ends, by noble means. I will not 
do that which my conscience tells me is wrong, to 
gain the huzzas of thousands, nor the daily praise 
of all the papers which come from the press : I will 
not avoid doing what I think is right, though it should 
draw on me the whole artillery of libels ; all that 
malice and falsehood can invent or the credulity 
of a deluded population swallow. I can say with 
a great magistrate upon an occasion, and under cir- 
cumstances, not unlike, Ego hoc animo semperfui, ut 
invidiam virtute part am, gloriam, non invidiam putarem." 
( The unpopularity ivhich may flow from an honest dis- 
charge of duty, I have always considered an honor, not a 
disgrace.) 

397. If we might venture to counsel the young, as 
to their political duties, we should say to them, that 
the Government of your country does not belong to 
those who are called to administer it, but to them, 
according to their numbers, and to the citizens, not 
in office, according to their numbers. It is merely a 
partnership for the common good, in which some of the 
members are managers, by an election of the majority. 
Those in office may be wise and honest, and yet, 
seeing things as they must, from points of vision 
peculiar to their position, they may see and judge 
erroneously. Public officers may be very unworthy 
of the trust confided to them ; they may be weak, 
or unprincipled, and may think of office, only as 
means for the gratification of selfishness. The cor- 
rective authority does, or soon will, reside in you. 
If you are dutiful to yourselves, you will study the 
nature of the Government under which you are to 
live. You will discriminate between those citizens 
who are office seekers, and those whom office seeks. 
You must ever bear in mind, that to strive for pow- 
er is natural to man. That power can be had, for 
political purposes, only through the tenure of office. 
That the selection and elevation of individuals to 
office, rarely occurs but through the combination of 
numbers, that is, of a dominant party. That, one 
party excites and exasperates, its opponent party. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 301 

That inflamed parties, are, to some extent, insane, 
just as any individual under the influence of a ve- 
hement passion is lost to the influence of reason. 
Each party will strive to increase its adherents. 
Each will have its orators, its newspapers, its pol- 
icy. Each will labor to prove the other to be wrong. 
They will impeach each other's wisdom, and integ- 
rity. The members of both parties may often dis- 
qualify themselves to see any object in its true light. 
Rational intelligence is the only remedy for such 
evils. The preservation of the existing forms of 
Government, and pure administration under them, 
are the objects confided to your care. In these you 
will find the security of all things, which are adapted 
to make of life, a blessing. It is deeply to be re- 
gretted, that so large a portion of intelligent citi- 
zens, in this country, hold it to be no part of their 
moral duty, to take an effective agency, and to use 
their just influence, in the preservation, and proper 
use of political power. This negligence is one of 
the threatening dangers of the republic. If the 
great mass of the community, who have no desire 
for office, were dutiful to themselves^ there might 
be little cause for complaint ; and no fear of wicked 
or indiscreet perversion of republican Government. 



CHAPTER XL. 

SOCIAL DUTIES. 

Duties which public laws might enjoin, or of which such 
laws might aid the performance, 

398. If the object intended has been accom- 
plished, it has been shown, that a social state, is 
the natural one for men, and that it is capable of 
progressive improvement. It is not reasonable to 
suppose, that it is as perfect, anywhere, as it can 
be. Is there not something more to be done by 
legislative power, than has been, hitherto, done ? 



302 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

Most of the existing laws, are made to punish 
crimes, to provide remedies for breaches of con- 
tracts, to subject trespassers to the payment of dam- 
ages, to give power to individuals to do some acts 
for their own benefit, or to provide for public ex- 
pense, or security. As the Governments of this 
country are instituted for the common good, as 
there is no good so important as moral good in this 
life, how does it happen that legislatures have 
never exercised their power for the purpose of pre- 
venting moral evil ? How does it happen, that they 
have done nothing for the encouragement, and sup- 
port of the virtues, w r hich adorn human life ? Why 
do they leave it to individuals, at their own ex- 
pense, and by their own labor, to carry on the great 
duty of bettering human condition ? 

399. Will it be maintained that the government 
of a Christian state, can do no acts constitutionally, to 
prevent pauperism, intemperance, and crimes ? Ought 
they to satisfy themselves with providing, that there 
shall be learning, without providing for any teaching, 
as to the purposes to which learning is to be applied 
in social life ? Is it inconsistent with the dignity 
of legislation to do any acts, in aid of the all-impor- 
tant knowledge, how human life should be passed ? 
Public laws may and ought to provide, that prop- 
erty, arts, science, and labor, shall be applied to 
prevent human sorrow and misery, and to increase 
the blessings of life ? However distant the day may 
be, when such purposes will be regarded as proper 
objects of the paternal regard of governments, that 
day will come. Meanwhile, there are no other means 
to advance social welfare, but those of individual 
exertion, and private munificence. 

400. Pauperism, This subject, although one which 
is clearly within legislative power, and although 
one, which occasions great expense, yet, it is left 
entirely to individual agency, as to prevention. 
The causes of pauperism are partly of foreign, and 
partly of domestic origin. Government has the 
power to prevent the coming of foreign paupers. 
If State governments have it not, these, and the 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 303 

National Government, together, certainly have. 
Whether natives or foreigners, ignorance of all du- 
ties to one's-self, to others, and to society, leads to 
gross sensual indulgence, to depraved habits of 
body and mind, to intemperance, to domestic mise- 
ry, and to shocking crimes. All poverty cannot be 
prevented, but vice and crime may be, so as to re- 
duce the whole amount, to a very small proportion 
of that which now exists. There is an example in 
the class of citizens called Quakers. There are 
said to be 100,000, at least, in the United States. 
They prove, that though all poverty connot be pre- 
vented, vice and crime may be. 

Who ever saw a quaker begging in the streets; 
or an intoxicated quaker ; or any one of this class of 
citizens, at the criminal bar ? Are not this class en- 
gaged in the common affairs of the world ; are not 
they merchants, mechanics, artificers, mariners, 
and otherwise employed in the ordinary business of 
life ? They, like the rest of us, are subject to the 
temptations, and perversions, incident to our state 
of being. Here, then, is a clear demonstration, that 
even without the aid of civil power, but by the 
mere force of moral influence, there is a class of 
men, in the midst of society, who do escape dis- 
graceful poverty, and who are free from vice, and 
crime. 

401. Let us suppose that a ragged, squalid, 
bloated, decrepid beggar, stops a lawmaker in our 
social community, and solicits something to supply 
his pressing wants. The sentiment that instantly 
springs up in the mind of the lawgiver, is of this 
nature : ' You odious, and shocking resemblance 
of a human being ! How dare you ask of me to 
minister to your depraved cravings ? ' This miser- 
able object might reply to him: ' I am all that I 
seem to you to be. I was called into being by Him 
who called you into it. I was formed as you were 
formed ; and charged with the same trust, and 
duties. I became at the moment of my birth, a 
member of a community, sustained and directed by 
intelligence, bv philanthropy ; and enlightened by 
26 









304 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

the Christian revelation. I was born among 1 men, 
who are justly proud of their blessings, and who 
know what man is, and by what rules, and laws, 
error may be prevented, and happiness promoted. 
You are one of these. Have you no duties to per- 
form, in the relation which you hold in the social 
union, to save such a wretch as you see me to be, 
from that complicated degradation in which I 
certainly am ? If you had obeyed the laws which 
your superior knowledge enables you to comprehend, 
and enforce, would not you have been spared the 
painful duty of uttering, and I the humiliating one 
of hearing, your stinging reproaches ?' 

402. It is maintained by some, that men have a 
right to be vicious ; that they may dispose of time, 
property, and character, as they see fit, so that the 
public law be not violated ; that if public opinion, 
and the fear of future condemnation, present no re- 
straint, there can be none ; that there is a limit to 
public law, which cannot be passed ; that the cases 
alluded to lie beyond it. The public laws should be, 
and may be such, as to prevent evil to the erroneous them- 
selves ; certainly such as will prevent misery to innocent per- 
sons, who are connected by the very order of society, 
with the erroneous ; persons who must suffer keenly, 
hopelessly, if the public law offer them no remedy, 
no relief. We believe that the great duties of legis- 
lation demand prevention much more than punishment; 
that hospitals may be used to save commencing sin- 
ners, rather than to receive far gone, and perhaps, 
incurable ones. The serious subject of public pun- 
ishment, has attracted a benevolent, humane, and 
enlightened consideration. The American repub- 
lics may honestly claim to be far in advance of the 
old world, in this respect. Jails are, in some in- 
stances, in this country, what jails should be, while 
there must be such places. Penitentiaries are, in 
some cases, what their name indicates. It is possible, 
nay probable, that a convict may be qualified, by 
his confinement, penitence and discipline, to return 
to society, prepared to be, what society demands 
that its members should be. How much more 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 305 

honorable would it be, if the like cost, labor, 
thought, and benevolence, were devoted to prevent 
crimes, instead of punishing them. 

403. As society is now managed, (that is, without 
any aid from public authority), its welfare must de- 
pend, in all matters of improvement, on private as- 
sociations. Their means are limited; yet they 
have a well deserved influence. The feelings, com- 
mon to all human hearts, are seen to operate in 
these measures, which tend to form the binding 
law of public opinion. Example, imitation, emula- 
tion, self-respect, refined moral sense, sympathy, 
compassion, in a word, the true spirit of Christiani- 
ty, are at work in these commendable efforts. If 
there be some men, iciser than all others, who smile 
at some of these measures, and who doubt the util- 
ity of the general diffusion of knowledge, it is to be 
hoped that they will live to realize an agreeable 
disappointment, in the effect produced. All these 
associations deserve the notice, and the respect of 
the young. They ought, not from a cold sense of 
duty, but because it is among the best acts which 
they can do for themselves (as influencing the 
whole of life), to inform themselves of the purposes 
of these societies, and to become members of them. 
The money which they expend therefor will re- 
turn them an abundant profit, in the fact, that 
themselves, and all around them, are growing wiser, 
and better ; and that life itself will become, more 
and more, a beneficent gift. 

404. Among the objects which are thus com- 
mended to notice, are bible societies, Sunday 
schools, temperance societies, improvement in the 
moral character of seamen, public lectures, lyceums, 
associations for mutual instruction connected with 
horaries, owned in common ; and the further most 
important one, associations for learning the laws of 
physical action, in reference to bodily powers. Why 
should the young persons of the United States, be 
round-shouldered, curved, and ill formed in their 
persons, and awkward in their bodily action ? Their 
Creator did not intend them for such sort of beings ; 



306 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 



but to be straight, full-chested, easy, and decorous, 
in all their deportment. 

405. There are some things which may be said to 
belong rather to local police than to any general legis- 
lative authority. All of these are comprised within 
the range of moral and social duties, however va- 
ried by circumstances. A person of refined moral 
feelings will hold the observance of what so many 
in the world hold to be ' none of other folks business,' 
imperative duties, for two reasons ; 1 . out of respect 
to himself; 2. out of reasonable consideration for 
others. 

406. Thus every one belongs to a neighborhood, 
which is both local, and social. Even those who 
have removed into new countries, and who dwell 
in solitary abodes, do not lose the sentiment of 
neighborhood. The nearest person to them is a 
neighbor, though separated by long distance. And 
when this sentiment cannot be preserved in fact, it 
may be in thought, and by that means it usually is so. 
Perhaps the last impressions that leave the heart of 
one who has wandered into far distant regions, are 
those made in his early days, in his native home. 
In general, as every one lives in a neighborhood, 
more or less dense, he can promote his own happi- 
ness, and that of those around him, by observing a 
becoming moral conduct. He has a right to enjoy 
life, and to use all things which he has, to that end; 
but he has not a right to any employment which 
necessarily disturbs the well being of others. Peace, 
tranquillity, and security within one's own walls, is 
the main purpose of life. No one has a right to inter- 
fere in these things, but by order of the public law. 
A neighbor, therefore, who so conducts himself, 
and those means of pleasure which he commands, 
as to vex, harass, and disturb those who. are neces- 
sarily within sight, hearing, &c, violates the law 
of morality. It often happens to be the pleasure 
of one who dwells in a dense neighborhood, to 
keep one or more animals whose habitual noises 
disturb those who necessarily dwell within hearing, 
in the hours allotted to repose. Now, whatever the 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 



307 



rigid law of the land may say in such cases, the 
law of morality says, that the suffering party has 
an unquestionable right to remove his trouble, if 
the proprietor of the cause of such nuisance will 
not, on request, remove it himself. A more peace- 
able way would be, to have it removed by order of 
the public magistrate. Many of such petty nui- 
sances, ought to be removable on summary verbal 
application, and not in the slow, written, and printed 
process, in which the movements of ordinary law 
are commonly made. 

It often happens that in a dense population, in 
which there must always be many persons, who 
are visited by dangerous illness, loud and distress- 
ing noises are made within their hearing. Valuable 
lives may, sometimes, depend upon quiet and un- 
broken stillness. The spirit of good neighborhood 
demands, that the condition of such persons should 
be regarded ; and that even lawful and useful 
sounds should, for that time, be suspended. Why ? 
Look into your own heart for the answer. If it 
were yourself, your husband, your wife, your child, 
; how would you that others should do to you, or 
them ? Is there not a law written in your own 
heart ? By whom was it written there ? 

407. The moral duties of neighborhood extend to 
all things which minister to the common comfort, 
convenience, and security. Each one of a neigh- 
borhood is bound to make his own dwelling place, 
as agreeable, and pleasant to those around him as 
he reasonably can. Each one is morally held to 
uphold, and sustain, a good name for his own little 
community. He is, therefore, to join, with a lib- 
eral and manly feeling, in all the improvements 
which tend to please, and adorn. Such things, 
even if they occasion some expenditure, are sources 
of self satisfaction ; and one comes, at last, to take 
an honorable pride in hearing his street, his village, 
his town, or city, commended by observers. 

408. Duties to the poor. If the power of legisla- 
tion were effectively applied to prevention, as well as 
to relief of poverty, the duties of individuals would be 

28 



308 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 









greatly diminished, in this respect. The poor are 
commonly spoken of as the vicious, and the virtuous 
poor. Those who look upon the former, as not enti- 
tled to charity, have not considered. These wretched 
beings may have come into life with worthy propen- 
sities, and may have been leo by example, or through 
ignorance of the purposes of life, or from the per- 
version of them, to the degraded state in which they 
are seen. They are still human ; and sensibilities 
of 'mind, and body, yet live in them. Society and its 
members, owe them a debt, in having permitted, 
since they did not prevent, such mournful depravity. 
These persons are entitled to be comfortably taken 
care of at the public expense ; but not to be fur- 
nished with money as beggars, without first knowing 
to what purposes it is to be applied. If one who is 
solicited to afford relief would take the trouble to 
go to the place of abode of such persons, he would 
sometimes behold a scene of wretchedness, which 
would touch his heart, and possibly put him upon 
thinking of whose mercy it is, that he is not him- 
self, what he beholds. He might, in such visit, 
have performed an act of humanity for which he 
would properly esteem himself, and he might per- 
haps return from his visit, a better man. 

409. The virtuous poor are entitled to the tender- 
est sympathy. Consider how sorely tempted they 
are, to seek relief from distressing wants, by what- 
soever means they can. They may have been inde- 
pendent of all charity, and sufficiently instructed to 
be entitled to the respect, esteem, and friendly so- 
ciety of those, whom the world justly respects. 
Causes, over which they had no control, even the 
performance of duties, may have made them infirm, 
and helpless, with all the keen sensibility of remem- 
bered independence. It is a noble duty of Chris- 
tian benevolence to visit and console, and minister 
to the wants of such unfortunate persons. It is 
sympathy, and kindness, that they are grateful for, 
rather than for money. The busy world seems to 
have closed every heart, and hand to them, and to 
have condemned them to exile, in the very bosom 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 309 

of society. How honorable it is, in such persons, 
amidst all their temptations, to have done no wrong ; not 
even, perhaps, to murmur at the dispensations of 
Providence. A young and fervent heart, will learn 
far better lessons for the purposes of this life, in 
visiting, comforting, and relieving such objects of 
charity, than in many of the places which they are 
accustomed to frequent. * Helpless poverty, is a 
real, positive evil. But, it is not a natural evil. In 
most cases it is occasioned by ignorance, or wilful 
disobedience. Come as it may, it is a charge on 
society ; and many a heart may beat with more 
complacency, in having done the duty of minister- 
ing to its relief. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

Dissatisfactions in human life, arising from supposed 
inequality and injustice in the distribution of good. 

410. A poor man who looks at the outside of a 
splendid mansion, and imagines the means of hap- 
piness which are found therein, naturally com- 
pares his own condition, with that of the fortunate 
owner. One who is poorly clad, passes another 
on the high way, who is sumptuously adorned, 
and who is drawn in an easy carriage, guided 
by a servant, who is, like himself, human. One • 
goes into a court house, or legislative assembly, 
and hears a man speaking, and commanding the 
attention of a numerous collection of persons. He 
compares his condition with that of the rich, the 
luxurious, and the well-educated. He finds that 
injustice has been done to him. His own home is 
a humble one ; his garments are poor., and obtained 

* There has lately appeared a translation (by Miss Peabody) of De- 
gerando's " Visiter of the Poor ; " with an introduction by Dr. Tucker- 
man, which well deserves the attentive study of all, who are disposed to 
perform the duties implied in Charity to the Poor. 



310 



MORAL CLASS BOOK, 



with difficulty ; he cannot ride, nor can he gam 
money, and applause by any intellectual effort. The 
world is, to him, a bad one ; and to exist in it, is to 
be miserable. Is he right in his opinions, and the 
world wrong ; or is he wrong, and the world right? 
The world may be wrong, in the action of some of 
the individuals, who compose it ; the complainant 
is wrong in this, he is not well informed of the 
purposes of life ; nor of the nature of society. He 
is deceived in supposing that riches, honors, and 
intellectual powers, are, in themselves, happiness. 
He is deceived, through his ignorance in this, that 
such incidents are only means to happiness, and 
may be means to misery, if ill used. Certainly 
there must be riches, and distinctions in the con- 
dition of men. There must be some men better in- 
formed, and with more intellectual power, than 
others have. But, he is greatly mistaken in sup- 
posing, that every one must be happy, because he 
has riches, distinction, and knowledge. Whether 
such an one is happy, or not, depends on the moral 
character of his own mind. For who does not know, 
that one may be very rich, highly distinguished, 
very intelligent, and very miserable. A false 
estimate of the value of wealth, in human life, that 
is, the covetousness of it, and the holding of it, as 
an ultimate possession, instead of taking it to be 
used for honorable and commendable purposes, is 
(as has been shown) one of the most degrading per- 
versions that can be seen among men. So, also, 
distinctions are means of happiness or not, as the 
holder of them does or does not comprehend the 
moral use of them. Intellectual power is good or 
bad to the possessor, as he does, or does not use it, 
for his own rational good, and that of his fellow- 
men. The true moral perception, which a just, 
gentle, civil, temperate, industrious, healthy man 
may have, although he be comparatively poor (for 
such a one cannot be dependency poor) may insure 
to him a far happier life, than many a rich distin- 
guished and intellectual man, ever knew. 

If, however, such a man, as the last mentioned, 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 311 

should know, the proper use of wealth, of distinc- 
tion, and of intellectual power, and should use all 
these means, honorably to himself, and usefully to 
others, is not this the very inequality, and injus- 
tice, which are complained of? 

411. Let us see, then, if there beany thing 
wrong, and justly to be complained of, in this re- 
spect. 

Can any one man be a minister, a physician, a 
lawyer, a farmer, a blacksmith, a merchant, a 
manufacturer, a shipbuilder, a mariner, a judge, a 
shoemaker, a miller, &c. Are not all these and many 
other classes, necessary in the division of labor, on 
which the prosperity of society depends ? Are not 
all men, in whatsoever vocation they are, more or 
less gifted by nature ; more or less instructed by 
education ; more or less diligent in their vocations; 
more or less fortunate in the place, time, manner 
and circumstances, in which they carry on their 
respective callings ? Do not the general laws of 
the Creator, in tempests, storms, peculiarity of 
seasons, in epidemic diseases, &c, sometimes de- 
range the wisest of human plans ? Do not unfore- 
seen political changes, whether in one's own 
country, or in others, affect human prosperity, which 
no prudence,, no intelligence, could foresee or pre- 
vent? Can every man be born to an inheritance, 
or keep one, if he happens to be? Are there not 
general laws in the action of society % as there are 
in the action of the material universe, to which 
individuals, and whole classes of individuals, must 
submit? Can any man be born to any particular 
condition? How can he influence the time, and the 
circumstances in which he shall become one of the 
millions of his nation? He must blame his pro- 
genitors if he do not like his natural qualities ; his 
instructers, and most commonly himse 1 ^ if his ac- 
quired qualities be not such as he would have them 
to be. Thus, it is plain, that from combined causes, 
partly such as no mortal can control, and partly 
such as he can control, and for the not controling 
of which he must blame himself, there must be, 
28* 






312 



MORAL CLASS BOOK, 



what is called, inequality of condition. It does not 
appear that men complain of not being wise, well 
instructed, amiable, virtuous, intelligent, gentle, 
temperate, industrious, as other men ; but that 
they are not rich as other men ; or not as much 
esteemed as they would be, if they were rich. Let 
us consider then what riches are, and what are the 
means of becoming rich. 

412. It is apparent to every observer, that the 
members of society, are variously employed, and 
that they have, respectively, more or less of proper- 
ty. Is this inequality among men, an injustice, and 
society, therefore, wrong ? If this sort of complaint 
were heard in a country, where certain individuals 
are immensely rich, raised above their fellow men, 
in general, by titles, and constituted law-makers, 
and judges, and even ecclesiastical dignitaries, by 
the single accident of birth, it would seem to have 
much of reason to support it. It is believed, that 
there is not any reason in it, among a people, where 
all such distinctions, founded in birth, are unknown; 
and where every one may, if he can, and will, raise 
himself to any reasonable distinction, which he may 
deserve. We see not how this complaint is properly 
raised in a community, which has the unquestiona- 
ble privilege of choosing, as it may see fit, its pub- 
lic agents, of every description, and even its relig- 
ious teachers, from among its own members. If 
there be errors, as undoubtedly there may be, in 
the public policy, the members of this community, 
have an easy and peaceable remedy, in their own 
hands. If they are sufficiently intelligent, and well 
informed to know, that a case has arisen in which 
the remedy is called for, it is their own fault if it be 
not applied. 

413. Riches consist of that part of the surface of 
the earth, which can be used for human habitations 
and their appendages ; of that part which can be 
used to produce vegetation ; of that part over which, 
and near which, there are flowing waters capable 
of imparting motion; they consist of all personal 
estate, and of money, the agreed representative of 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 313 

all property, which is, at the same time, property 
in itself. Possessions, of these various kinds, are 
acquired by inheritance, or by industry. Right by 
inheritance, is not wrong. Would any rational 
mind maintain, that when the father of a family, or 
any one who has no family, has acquired property, 
and dies, it shall belong, of right, to any, and to 
all, who can get possession, by fraud, force, or 
whatsoever other means they may ? Society could 
not be held together, if such were the rule of right. 
It is, at once, apparent, that if such were the rule, 
there would be nothing to contend for ; because all 
inducement to acquire for the benefit of one's fami- 
ly, and connexions, would be annihilated. Society 
would be forthwith reduced to barbarism. The 
right to acquire, and the right of inheritance, are 
wisely ordained to be a necessary consequence of 
society, and one of its strongest motives to act to use- 
ful ends. 

414. If it be irreconcilable to justice, to conve- 
nience, and to the common good, to take by fraud, 
or violence, that which the dead must leave be- 
hind them ; much more so is it, to take from the 
livings by like means, that which they can honestly 
acquire, by the exercise of their own industry. If 
a member of a community were always liable to be 
despoiled of the fruits of his labor, the great princi- 
ple of the system of being to which man belongs, 
would have been misplaced ; there would have been 
no sufficient motive to action. If one would know 
what society would be, if such were the law, and 
the practice, as to property inherited, or acquired, 
he must visit the northern coast of Africa ; the im- 
perial city of Constantinople ; in short, almost any 
country on which the light of Christianity does not 
shine. 

415. It is contended by some persons, that there 
should be a periodical division of land, and proper- 
ty, and that every member of the community shall 
have an equal share. How often should this divi- 
sion be made ? Should it be made once a year, once 






314 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

in ten years, once in fifty years ? Why should it 
be made at one time, rather than at another ? Sup- 
pose it could be made, and were made, it must be 
but a very short time, before it ought to be made 
again, if the reason for making it be, that some 
have more and some less ; and that some are rich, 
and some poor. One must be wilfully blind not to 
see, that either the whole action of society must 
stop, or that inequality of condition would arise, in 
a single year, perhaps, in a single month ; and even 
such inequality as would call for a new division. 
In a country, where the statute law makes an equal 
distribution, among heirs ; and where the spirit of 
enterprize and speculation has an unrestrained 
agency, the causes of regret are, that sad reverses 
occur, and that property changes hands too often, 
rather than that it is unreasonably held in the hands 
of a few, and of their successors. A small number 
of generations is sure to bring equality, considering 
our community as a continuing one. Thus, prop- 
erty comes and goes, in this country, as fast as any 
one can reasonably desire to have it. The changes 
which are seen, as to the ownership of it, are regu- 
lated by authority far wiser than any of man's in- 
stitution. Is it not enough that a gracious Benefactor, 
has made us free to act according to his laws ; has 
given us the power to comprehend, and obey these 
laws ; has taught us, that labor, and action, to use- 
ful ends, shall be a pleasure in themselves, and 
worthily rewarded ; and that if one would be com- 
fortable in his circumstances, (and even rich, if he 
desire to be so,) he must study out, and apply, hon- 
orable, and virtuous means of becoming so ? It is 
exceedingly difficult, to discern, how the social con- 
dition of the people of this country, or of any coun- 
try, could be placed on a foundation, better adapted 
to promote human happiness than it is. If it were 
rightly understood, and availed of, it would be among 
the most fervent motives to gratitude. For, we 
cannot but insist, that honest labor, whether with 
the head, or the hands, or both, is alike honorable 



1 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 315 

in all classes ; and constitutes the most enduring 
pleasure which is known in this life. 

INDEPENDENCE. 

416. The moral of all that has been discussed in 
these pages may be comprised in a single word, in- 
dependence. So far as one's fellow men are con- 
cerned, who is he that may justly claim to be inde- 
pendent ? 

1. He who knows the laws of that material ex- 
istence, of which he is, himself, a part, so that he 
can properly use whatsoever will sustain him in 
health, and vigor, and so that he can avoid what- 
soever will disqualify him to perform his duties to 
himself, and to others. 

2. He who properly obeys the irresistible impulse 
to action, in lawful modes, and to useful ends. 

3. He who is instructed in some calling, whereon 
individual and social prosperity depend ; and who 
can, by honorable industry therein, supply his own 
reasonable wants, and the like wants of those, who 
share with him, a well ordered, cheerful, satisfying 
home. 

4. He who knows that he is not " to live to him- 
self," but for himself, and for society ; and that 
among his highest duties, is that of having, and of 
expressing a just judgment, on all men, and on all 
measures, on which the public security, and wel- 
fare depend. 

5. He who is too frugal to give his earnings to 
vain and costly pleasures, because others do so ; and 
who is too wise to sacrifice his personal freedom, 
and his peace of mind to irrational fashion, blind 
imitation; or hazardous scheming to grow rich. 

6. He who realizes that life must be treated as a 
whole ; that youth, early manhood, and middle 
age are the seasons given to prepare for the winter, 
that is sure to come ; and wherein the sole depend- 
ence may be on the gatherings which have been 
made in these seasons, which are gone, and forever. 

7. He who fears no reproach from any mortal, 
for anything done, or omitted. 



316 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

8. He who fears no intercourse with that monitor 
who dwells within, and which will go with him to, 
and beyond the grave ; and which cannot upbraid 
him with having sacrificed his duty, through fear, 
through hope of favor, or in weakness, to any mor- 
tal being. 

9. He who believes that whatsoever is done on 
earth, by rational beings, should be done, in rever- 
ence of Him who ordered, who upholds, and who 
governs all that is, or will be. 

10. He who dies careless of all scrutiny which in- 
terest, envy, or malice may make, provided truth 
and justice be respected. 

Such independence, it may De said, is a severe 
exaction from human nature ; no person can be 
so independent. Certainly, there have been, and 
there may be, such persons. There are always 
some who range between mediocrity, and the high- 
est attainment. If there be one in an hundred 
thousand, this proves what human nature can be. 
How many such there might be, has never been 
proved by any fair experiment in moral education. 
There are phrases, often uttered, to show the char- 
acter of the age, and among them these ; march of 
mind ; the schooler master is abroad. These phrases 
imply, that society is industriously employed in pro- 
moting its own improvement. Suppose, then, that 
able artificers are at work, on excellent materials, 
but each one, in a large proportion of the whole, 
seeing by his own lamp light, at noon day. Would 
it not be better to throw open the shutters, and let 
in that light, which was given for man to work by ; 
and which is the best light that man can use, in 
whatsoever work he is engaged ? 

After all, it must be admitted, that even the 
wisest and the best, must sometimes hide a mourn- 
ful sigh, and a scalding tear, in the bosom of philos- 
ophy and religion, as the disconcerted child hides 
its face in the lap of its mother. But it is only to 
be reassured, that all goes right, if man, himself, 
go right. 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 317 



CHAPTER XLIL 

Duties ichich the People of one country owe to those of 

another, 

417. It is seen that all the people of the earth 
belong to some one of the many nations ; that 
each nation has a distinct language, with the few- 
exceptions of those who have become nations after 
having been colonies, as is the case with our own 
country. It is also seen, that nations are separated 
from each other, not only by language, manners, 
customs, religion, and forms of civil government, 
but, also by geographical boundaries. The origin 
of languages, the transmission of them, the changes 
which they undergoe, the loss of some which have 
existed, and the languages formed out of several, are 
subjects of great curiosity and interest, but foreign 
to the present purpose. As no nation can be sup- 
posed to have chosen its own language, and as 
there are so many varieties ; as the whole family of 
mankind could not form one people, since they 
would necessarily break into fragments, it cannot 
be doubted, that the division into nations, conforms 
to the will of the Deity. There are obvious advan- 
tages in this division. There is, probably, some 
natural, and necessary geographical limit to po- 
litical power. Beyond this natural limit, power 
must be delegated ; and those who are submitted 
to it, must suffer. The security, and prosperity of 
a nation may have been intended to result, from 
having a certain number of persons united in one 
territory, and bound by common interest ; and also, 
that one nation should act on another, through the 
influence of emulation, as well regulated individuals 
act on each other. That by such means the com- 
mon interests of nations, generally, should be 
promoted. Whatever may be thought of such 
suggestions, (which are admitted to be merely 
speculative) it is very certain, that the people of 



318 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

the earth have always been divided into nations, 
and most distinctly marked from each other. 

418. National intercourse is two-fold. 1. That 
which is conducted by those public officers who 
represent the nation ; (or who call themselves the 
nation.) 2. That which is carried on by the indi- 
viduals of different nations, in commerce, hospitality, 
or in the interchange of thoughts. The common 
relation which any two nations sustain towards 
each other, is that of peace, or war. Under the 
former, there may be an unlimited, or a modified 
intercourse, according to the policy of each nation ; 
under the latter, the relation is well known, as to 
character, and consequences. What changes are 
to occur in the belligerent acts of nations, is matter 
of curious, and interesting speculation, but not 
connected with the objects under consideration. As 
nothing stands still in this system of being, there 
will be changes in the matter of war. They may be 
very slow, as much so as some kinds of formation, 
and decomposition, in the natural world ; they are, 
nevertheless, it may be presumed, to come. 

419. There are certain moral duties, it is believed, 
which the individuals of every enlightened, and 
Christian nation owe, to those of ever} other, when 
the public relations permit the lawful performance 
of them. The commendable policy of one nation, 
may instruct another. If the arts, the sciences, 
and the social improvements in one nation, advance 
its welfare, other nations may imitate its enterprize, 
and emulate its success. If there be obvious errors, 
and consequent disadvantages, or sufferings, in one, 
another may so shape its policy, as to avoid the 
like evils. The benefits which arise from compar- 
ing books, with the actual state of things, by means 
of personal observation, cannot be too highly 
valued : Certainly, not by those who think, that 
the present is a progressive state of improve- 
ment, in which the w T hole family of mankind are 
alike interested. It seems consistent with such 
a view of things, that all strangers who visit 
any country, with commendable motives, and 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 319 

who are of worthy deportment, should be kindly- 
received ; that they should be made to feel that 
they are welcome ; that they are secure, in property, 
and person. It is the common interest, to treat all 
such visiters, with courtesy, and civility. Some- 
times the manifestation of such feelings is misplaced; 
but in general, in the course of natural justice, 
there is an ample return for all that is properly ren- 
dered. It may never happen to one's-self, to be in 
the way of receiving a return ; but it will come to 
some of one's countrymen, or be kindly remembered 
of the country, which is an abundant return. The 
day, happily, is gone, and it is to be hoped forever, 
when all who are not citizens, are to be regarded as 
barbarians, or enemies. 

420. This division into nations, is thought to be 
favorable to the diffusion of Christian knowledge. 
If it be practicable to translate the Scriptures into the 
language of any heathen country, and to approach, 
teach, and convince, persons who are in authority, 
and who exercise an influence over the mass of per- 
sons, it may be presumed, that the work of diffusing 
Christianity may be essentially promoted. Efforts 
to teach the sublime truths of Christianity, are a 
hopeless labor, until the mind has been prepared to 
receive them. This has been proved in the Paci- 
fic Isles. Instruction in reading, and writing, ap- 
pears to have been among the earliest steps. The 
result of labor in this respect, has insured to many 
teachers, the highest consideration ; and has 
proved that the barbarous ignorance of the pagan 
world will, at some time, be made to disappear. A 
kind and friendly international communion, is, on 
this account, as well as on all others, a high moral 
duty. If it be seen that Christians who visit hea- 
then countries conduct themselves while there, ac- 
cording to the precepts of the religion which they 
profess, it must be a strong recommendation of that 
religion itself. It cannot be doubted, that such de- 
portment must be understood every where, because it 
is natural to every heart that is not perverted. Al- 
though political duty certainly forbids the inter- 
23 



320 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

ference of individuals, in national affairs, which are 
necessarily confided to public agents ; yet, duties, 
no less imperative, exact, that at all times, and under 
all circumstances, when countries are at peace, the 
command ' to do as you would have others do to 
you,' extends to the whole family of mankind, 
whenever, and wheresoever it can be applied. 



CHAPTER XLIIL 

Duties to the Creator. 

421. In attempting to show what these duties 
are, it is, by no means, intended to assert any 
sectarian opinions. On the contrary, it is assumed 
that conceptions of the character and attributes 
of the Deity, the manner in which the Scriptures 
are to be read, and understood, and the forms of 
homage, which are to be observed towards the Most 
High, are matters which concern every one for 
himself. Each one is to be finally responsible for 
the manner in which he has performed his trust and 
duties. It is entirely foreign to the present purpose, 
to dictate, or prescribe, to any one, what he may 
or may not believe, on disputed doctrines ; in what 
terms he shall offer his supplications, express his 
penitence, or present his gratitude. 

422. Religion arises from man's perception of 
his relation to the system of being of which he is a 
necessary part ; and from each one's conception of 
the relation in which he stands to that power from 
whom this system proceeded. The presence and 
influence of Religion, is to be felt and manifested, 
throughout the duration of human life, in all that is 
thought, and done. Certainly, religion cannot be 
something which one is to feel, and show, at stated 
days and hours, and at no other times ; though 
there may be times, and seasons, properly set apart, 
for that homage which is to be rendered, as well for 
the gift of religion itself as for all other bounties which 
call for the gratitude of man. As to those duties 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 321 

which each individual may consider himself bound 
to perform, disconnected from all other individuals, 
in the form of worship, he must judge for himself. 
If he err, he is accountable, and not another. 

423. From the earliest ages, Christians have 
been accustomed to assemble for the purpose of so- 
cial worship. They have offered, unitedly, their 
prayers, their penitent supplications, their praise, 
and their adoration. They have been accustomed, 
with devout humility, to acknowledge the superin- 
tendence and government of the Deity, in all the 
serious events, and changing scenes of life ; and to 
beseech his blessing in all acts worthy of the ac- 
knowledged relation of created, and dependant be- 
ings. Although these various duties arise, directly 
between every mortal, and the Author of his being, 
yet there have always been individuals, who were 
intended to be, in some degree, separated from the 
ordinary scenes of life, and whose days have been 
devoted to the study, the practice, and the teach- 
ing, of religious duty. It has been the usual course, 
especially in this country, to invite the presence of 
these teachers, in all solemn transactions, and when 
under visitations of Divine Providence ; and, through 
them, to express the sentiments, and feelings, called 
for by the occasion. These teachers have properly 
acquired the name of pastors, and those who have 
gathered around them, that of their flock. 

424. As it has been usual for Christians to assem- 
ble periodically, and to unite in public worship, ac- 
cording to the various forms and rites, of which 
they have respectively approved ; so they have 
devoted one day in a certain number of days, for 
this public service. This day they distinguish as 
their sabbath. The word sabbath, is said to be taken 
from the Hebrew, and to signify to cease, or to rest. 
The word sunday is in common use. It is said, that 
certain heathen nations in the north of Europe, 
dedicated their day of religious worship to the Sun. 
Whence their Christian descendants called the 
Christian sabbath, Sunday. 

425. We pass over the inquiry as to the time 



322 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

when, and the manner in which, the Jewish sabbath 
was instituted. This is, perhaps, still an open 
question among 1 biblical critics, and one not involved 
in the present object. It may also be a question, 
whether the Saviour did, by precept, or example, 
set apart any day of the week for social worship. 
It is said that no command, or recommendation of 
this nature, appears in the New Testament. Yet, 
it is believed, that there was some command to this 
effect, because in the life-time of the Apostles, it 
was usual for Christians to assemble on the first 
day of the week. This day was selected, it has 
been supposed, because it was the day of the resur- 
rection, whence it has been called c The Lord's day.' 
However these things may be, it has been the prac- 
tice of Christians, from the earliest time, to regard 
the first day of the week, as their sabbath ; and to 
keep it with more or less strictness. Among many 
classes of Christians it is kept with nearly the same 
strictness, which was habitual among the Jews. 
That people seem to have carried the observance 
of the day to the full extent of divine command. 
In the long-continued siege of Jerusalem, which 
ended in its destruction, and in that of the Jews as 
a people, they are said to have so far overcome 
their scruples, as to defend their persons when at- 
tacked on the sabbath ; but not so far as to feel 
justified in resisting the enemy on that day, when 
they were filling up the trench before the wall, to 
facilitate the conquest of the city. 

426. It is well known that great diversity of opin- 
ion exists among Christians, as to the manner in 
which the sabbath should be kept. In catholic 
countries the sabbath is observed, in a manner 
which Protestants have neither copied, nor approved. 
Among the latter, there are various opinions as to 
the proper mode of keeping this day; and these 
opinions have been repeatedly expressed, and pub- 
licly discussed. This matter must be left, at least 
on the present occasion, to the proper influence of 
public opinion. There are some points, in which 
it is to be hoped all Christians accord, and which 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 323 

are proper to be remarked upon. There are some 
others, on which it may not be deemed obtrusive to 
express an opinion, although all may not entertain 
the like view. 

427. It is clearly settled from earliest usages in 
this country, and alike by all denominations, that the 
first day of the week is their sabbath ; and settled 
in like manner, that there shall be two meetings, 
the one before, and the other after the middle of 
the day. Besides these two meetings, some denom- 
inations do, and others do not, have a third meet- 
ing, at some hour of the evening. There are meet- 
ings, among some denominations, on other days of 
the week. The object in all these meetings is so- 
cial worship, according to the religious sentiments 
which the assembled entertain. Thus one thing is 
clearly settled, that all Christians hold to social 
public worship, especially, on the first day of the 
week. It is reasonable to suppose, that a practice 
of such antiquity, and so universally observed, must 
be founded in some principle natural, or agreeable, 
to the human mind. There have been, also, modes 
of keeping the sabbath prescribed by political au- 
thority ; and also many requisitions, as to forms 
and modes of worship, arising from ecclesiastical 
discipline ; and these have been, in many ways, 
sanctioned and enforced by the same authority. 
The history of Christian nations, down to a late 
period, is made up mostly of wars, civil commotions, 
and controversies arising out of religion. During 
the last fifty years, in the United States, there has 
been a gradual separation of the ecclesiastical, from 
the political authority. The like change seems to 
be going on in Europe, and it is not improbable that 
the present tendency is to dispose of religion, and 
of worship, as has been done among the people of 
the United States : that is, to leave these things 
to the care of conscientious duty. Supposing that 
there should be no requisition, on the part of pub- 
lic authority, to do anything concerning religious 
associations and establishments: that this authority 
should only tolerate them, and afford them the like 

29* 



324 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

protection, which it extends to all the lawful, peace- 
able, and praiseworthy meetings of associated citi- 
zens ; suppose the public authority should withdraw 
all support and countenance of the sabbath, and 
even attempt to abolish it, as was done by a nation 
in Europe', at the close of the last century : Then 
the question would be, What is the obligation to main- 
tain public worship, on the sabbath ? 

428. The respect to be paid to the sabbath is sup- 
posed to rest on the following 1 considerations : 

First. It is clear, to every well-informed person, 
that the material system of being (which is apparent 
to every human eye that is not wilfully closed,) did 
proceed from supreme Intelligence ; that it is ordered 
by incomprehensible power, and adorable good- 
ness ; that man in his marvellous physical organiza- 
tion, and in his intellectual powers, and in his 
adaptation to partake in the bounties of this system, 
proceeds from the same Divine Author ; that he 
begins, continues, and ends his connexion with that 
Author, on earth, in subjection to his will ; that 
this complicated, and astonishing system, could not 
endure, and go on through its destiny, (whatever 
that may be,) without the unceasing presence, 
government, and providence of the Almighty. 
That, as man is*so constituted, as to be enabled to..dis- 
cern, and be assured, that all these things are so, the 
natural and inevitable sentiment, that arises in his 
mind is, that he owes the reverence, submission, and 
gratitude due from the created, to the Creator. 

Second. That this natural sentiment is confirmed 
by Divine revelation, whereby man is enabled to 
know what his true relation is to the Deity ; that his 
duration does not terminate with the frail tenement 
of earth in which he abides, while human life is in 
process ; but that he is surely intended to renew 
his existence, according to the manner in which he 
shall have obeyed, served, and rendered his 
homage, to the Author of his being. 

Third. From these undeniable truths it follows, 
that as all men proceeded from one, and the same 
Creator, and as they are bound together by com- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 325 

mon interests, duties, sympathies, affections, and 
must act together, in the most important concerns 
of life, that concern, which is the most important 
of all, the reverence o/God, should be manifested at 
convenient times, and in convenient assemblies, and 
with one heart and with one voice ; that such 
social worship is encouraging, monitory, consoling 
and honorable, and is worthy of the Deity, and of 
the objects of his common bounty. 

429. If these opinions are received and admitted, 
as founded in the obvious relation of man to God, 
then it would follow, that some time should be set 
apart, in which all may join in the duties, which 
arise from it. There was a time assigned by 
Divine command among the Jews, which was each 
seventh in the succession of days. This appropria- 
tion is convenient to man's own nature, and to 
that of the creatures who are held in servitude to 
him, since it is the day of cessation from that labor 
which is necessary to man's well being ; and hal- 
lowed as the day of rest in the earth, and the day 
of homage to Heaven. It is one more among the 
innumerable proofs of divine goodness, that the 
mind of man is so ordered, that there may be a 
day of periodical return, when, by universal con- 
sent, and approbation, the busy and anxious scenes 
of life may be shut out, and an opportunity given to 
turn the course of thought to the design of life, its 
progress, its termination, and its consequences. 

430. Viewed in its earthly relations, merely, and, 
if it were possible to disregard the sabbath in its 
acknowledged relation to the Deity ; still it is a 
precious day, to rational, social, sympathetic man. 
It is that day on which he knows that all men who 
acknowledge the existence, the presence, and the 
attributes of the Universal God, are engaged in 
rendering to him the duties of that acknowledg- 
ment. From the city, from the village, from lonely 
abodes, from the bosom of the deep, every where, 
rational, thankful, penitent, supplicatory man, offers, 
at the same time, his humble tribute to the Most 
High. It is grateful to know, that throughout the 




326 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

earth, millions of voices are raised at the same mo- 
ment, in praise, and adoration. 

431. There are still nearer views of the sabbath, 
as connected with social and temporal happiness. 
They are peculiarly striking in this favored country. 
The sabbath may be a better day in the United States 
of America, than it is almost any where else in the 
world. It is surprising to au American to know, 
how small a portion of worshiping Christians, in 
Europe, hear clergymen of their own choosing; 
and how large a proportion of the places of public 
worship, are destitute of the accommodations, 
which are common in all our churches and meeting 
houses. It is unknown to any one, in this land, to 
conform to rules, and to use expressions, of which 
he does not approve in his acts of worship. It 
would be entirely inadmissible here, that any man 
should partake of the sacrament, and make a pro- 
fession of religious creed, to qualify him for trust, 
and office. Here, there are no dignitaries in eccle- 
siastical power, who claim to be princes, because 
they are Christians ; nor any who live in the pomp 
and splendor of this world, to show to an admiring 
populace, the equality, and the humility, of spirit- 
ual perfection. Here, there are no classes shut out 
from social privileges, and rights, because they can- 
not conscientiously believe, profess, and worship, 
according to statute law, 

432. The profession of Christian faith elevates, 
among us, no one to an unnatural, and merely tem- 
poral distinction. All Christians stand on the same 
level, as to rights and duties. Each one may 
choose for himself, what he will believe, and with 
whom he will worship, and by whose ministry he 
will be guided. There are few who can have any- 
thing, who may not have a place, appropriately 
their own, in the house of worship. No one is held 
to pay the tenth of the product of his labors, whe- 
ther he wills to do so, or not, for the support of a 
ministry, whether he likes it, or not. All who 
appear in the house of worship, are where they 
would be ; and are understood to be performing 



MORAL CLASS BOOK, 327 

that duty, and service, which they prefer, and none 
other. It would be surprising, then, if the places 
of assembly on the sabbath, were not filled by a 
grateful, and respectable population ; more sur- 
prising, still, that there should be any, in such a 
population, who are not suitably affected by the 
example of those who know the nature of their 
privileges, and who are disposed to derive the 
proper benefit from them. There are a few, and 
but a few, (comprising the unfortunate ignorant, and 
the habitually dissolute,) who do not regard the 
sabbath. There are some young persons who 
show their want of education, their acquired de- 
pravity, and their disregard of public opinion, by 
using the sabbath, and even the time devoted to 
religious instruction, for purposes tchich they sadly mis- 
take to be pleasure. They are seen to be riding 
furiously to places of public resort, and returning 
from them, heated by intoxicating drinks. Such 
young persons are marked by those who see them. 
When they come to be men, and claim to be members 
of society, they find they have been marked ; and that 
they have given to themselves a name, which they 
will find it very difficult to change. They will need 
the recommendation of worthy persons for employ- 
ments, for introductions to respectable connexion. 
They cannot be justly dissatisfied that their claims 
are disregarded ; and that they have lost their 
proper rank ; and must pass anew, through a pro- 
bationary time, which they have sacrificed. They 
cannot, otherwise, reclaim the rank which is com- 
mon to all the orderly, and virtuous. 

433. There is a social sentiment in religious 
worship, in this country, which is likely to be felt, 
but in few Christian assemblies, in other countries. 
Those who meet, have a bond of union, in the 
common proprietorship, in the election of the 
clergyman, and in being accustomed to see each 
other, in their respective places. It may be, that 
some who so meet, rarely meet on any other occa- 
sion. But the sentiment of common interest, broth- 
erly regard, and good will, grows up from the very 



328 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

fact of so assembling, though the occasions for 
personal expression of it may be very few. There 
is something, from the very constitution of human 
nature, which creates a common interest among 
those, who use the same terms of devotion, and to 
whom the same sentiments of instruction are ad- 
dressed in common, by a teacher of their own 
choice. There is no compulsion in all this, but 
the common sense of duty, right, and propriety ; 
nor any binding association, but in the zeal, and 
fidelity of the teacher. It is greatly to the honor 
of the clergy among us, that they are zealous and 
faithful, and merit the respect, confidence, and 
affection which they so generally obtain in our com- 
munity. The inducements to engage in the minis- 
try must be regarded, in many instances, as arising 
from a sense of duty ; because the same labor and 
ability which are often known among the clergy, 
might command much more of what are called the 
goods of this world, in other vocations, than the 
ministry usually affords. 

434. We dare hardly express an opinion, which 
we trust will some day find more favor than it is 
likely to do at the present time, in relation to that 
part of the service which is called the sermon. We do 
not understand this to be an address to the Deity ; 
though in His presumed presence, and in honor of 
Him ; in social worship. It is the sentiments, and 
opinions of the pastor, to his flock, on their worldly, 
social, and pious duties. As we conceive of Re- 
ligion, the contemplation of the Deity, in all his 
stupendous works : the scale of being far inferior to 
man, and down to the lowest ; the whole order of 
vegetable being, and the connexion and mutual de- 
pendence of all, are subjects to be regarded in pub- 
lic worship, as well as the intellectual power of man, 
and his moral and religious perceptions. We know 
not, why subjects of this nature, should not be 
spoken of in assemblies of Christians, reverentially 
and piously ; nor do we know why the thoughts, 
and considerations, which lead to the great progress 
of improvement, among the human family, are not 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 329 

subjects worthy of the place and the occasion. We 
rather incline to think, that in some modified man- 
ner, they are so. There are many persons, (whose 
opinions constitute an important part of the sum of 
opinion, on which everything depends, in a free 
country,) whose unavoidable occupations preclude 
them from satisfying inquiries, which it cannot be 
unbecoming to find answered, from the sacred desk. 
435. It is undoubtedly true, that society is ad- 
vancing in the knowledge of its rights, and duties, 
especially in our own country, in an unprecedented 
manner. It must be obvious to all reflecting minds, 
that the clet^gy must keep even, at least, with the 
very front of advancement. There are, and proba- 
bly will continue to be, controversial discussions on 
religious subjects, often depending upon the most 
diligent and learned researches. It is expected by 
parishioners, that they are to be occasionally in- 
structed in the character, and progress of these dis- 
cussions ; and that they shall, on proper calls for it, 
have the judgment of their own teacher. It is ex- 
pected too of the clergy, when out of the desk, that 
they shall, at proper seasxons, make known, that the 
passing world is not unobserved, nor unstudied by 
them. They are, on many important occasions, 
(conducive to the general welfare, in morals, the 
improvement in which all are interested), able 
counsellors, and effective agents, no less from 
weight of character, than from sound judgment. 
We, therefore, with the most respectful considera- 
tion for long continued habits, venture to suggest a 
doubt, whether more is not expected from the 
clergy, in the disposal of their time, than is useful to 
those to whom it is devoted. It is dutiful, and pleas- 
ant, to every clergyman, to visit in his parish ; but 
the necessity for this visiting, is not what it once 
was. There are means of instruction, through the 
use of the press, and from the diffusion of knowl- 
edge, which make the personal instruction of the 
clergy, less essential ; and in truth, parishioners, 
generally, are so much more enlightened than their 
predecessors were, that, it would be doing them in- 



330 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

justice to insist, that parochial visitings are as ne- 
cessary as they once were. If any one should, in 
these days, take into consideration the number of 
hours, and days, which must be spent in visiting, in 
an extensive parish, and all other indispensable 
claims on a clergyman's time, he will be surprised 
to find how small a portion of time will be left, to 
present those results of study from the sacred desk, 
which the actual condition of society demands. In 
most populous places, (it is believed) the practice of 
mere formal visiting, has yielded to the reason of 
the thing ; and it is not expected as a duty. This 
is one of the proofs of increasing good sense. Pa- 
rishioners are compensated for the loss of a visit, by 
their share in the honorable fame of their minister, 
and in the general improvement of the character of 
society. 

We have ventured these remarks from the exalted 
respect which we entertain for the clerical duties in 
a country, where they must be performed, if per- 
formed at all, because the refinement and good sense, 
of the community, call for them ; — and, because, 
we entertain the like respect for the clergy, as a 
body of men, to whom this country ever has been, 
and as we hope, and believe, ever will be, grateful- 
ly indebted. 

436. With respect to the manner in which that 
part of the sabbath shall be passed, which is not 
given to public worship, there is a well-known dif- 
ference of opinion. No public law can regulate this 
matter. It can go no further than to provide, that 
those who engage in worship, shall not be dis- 
turbed ; and that it shall be a day of rest, and 
cessation from the common business of life ; except, 
that we believe, that it is constitutionally right in 
most of the states, to prohibit resort to public places, 
for purposes inconsistent w r ith moral duty. We en- 
tertain no doubt that it must be competent to any, 
and every truly christian, and moral people, to in- 
terdict all acts which tend to immoralities, and es- 
pecially on the sabbath. It cannot be doubted that 
the good sense of the public, would sustain the law- 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 331 

making, and executive power, in going much farther 
than they do now go. Surely some of the modes 
of passing the sabbath, in this country, are not 
such as are useful, or justifiable, on the part of 
those who might be restrained, if there were no 
other motive than their own good. All this depends 
on the will of the community, who have the power, 
if they choose to exert it, of making changes for 
the benefit of all, and without the least violation of 
any right, or proper privilege. 

437. There is an appropriation of part of the 
sabbath day, which has lately attracted the public 
attention, and patronage, and which, it is believed, 
cannot be too much respected, and commended. 
We allude to Sunday Schools. Many very young 
persons, and many who are between tender age, 
and adult life, have not the means, during the 
week, from various causes, to obtain the instruc- 
tion, which is essential to their welfare. There are 
many persons, who have attained full age, who 
would be benefited by instruction no less than their 
juniors. Persons who are busily engaged in facto- 
ries, and in other occupations, which take up all the 
days of the week but the sabbath, would, it is 
hoped, if they had the opportunity, gladly employ 
a part of the latter day, in receiving instruction. 
It is due to some of the proprietors of manufactur- 
ing establishments to state, on all proper occasions, 
the sense of obligation, which this community feel, 
for their liberal provision to maintain Sunday schools. 
It is to be hoped that such praiseworthy examples 
will have their just influence, and be everywhere 
followed. It is well known that many persons of 
both sexes who have been blessed with the advan- 
tages of education, have voluntarily given their ser- 
vices, and their pecuniary contributions, to promote 
and effect this truly charitable, and moral purpose. 
Next after the services, due individually and social- 
ly, to the Almighty Benefactor of the human family, 
surely, there can be no sabbath duty more worthy 
of the created and the Creator, than those which 
open the mind to a knowledge of His works , and of 
30 



332 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

the duties which he has prescribed. Such employ- 
ment of the sabbath is philosophically consistent 
with the nature of man, and of society. It is ac- 
tion ; it is action to the most useful purposes. It is 
the sowing of seed which falls, not on a rock, nor 
by the way side ; but in good ground ; it will spring 
up, and bear precious fruits, the fragrance of which 
will ascend to heaven. 

438. With some persons, the stillness and tran- 
quillity of the sabbath are favorable to self-examina- 
tion. By this, we do not mean the contemplations 
of diseased fancy ; nor attempts to feel and express 
emotions, which the human mind cannot rationallv 
entertain. These are unprofitable delusions ; they 
are unknown to well informed and intelligent per- 
sons. True, practical self-examination arises from 
considering man as he is, and not in relation to an 
imaginary state of being, alike unfit for him, and ir- 
reconcilable to the true conceptions of the Deity. 
Man is a material, intellectual, moral, social, and 
religious creature. His self examination can only 
relate to himself, as such. Its purpose is understood 
to be, a conscientious inquiry, whether one has 
lived up to the laws of nature, and of the Creator ; 
and to discover wherein these laws have been de- 
parted from ; and to strive to live in future, accord- 
ing to what one knows to be best, just, and right. 
A self examiner may be supposed to ask himself 
such questions as these: Have I duly considered 
my bodily frame, and its wonderful constitution, 
and uses ; — have I endeavored to preserve it in a fit 
condition to render to myself, to my connexions, to 
society, and to its Creator, the duties for which he 
ordained, and gave it ; have I misused, or abused, 
this frame, in any of its parts ; have I failed to obey 
the universal command to preserve by care and in- 
dustry, all things for use, which were meant for 
use? If I am in pain, sickness, weakness, or ina- 
bility, what acts of mine have brought this trouble 
upon me ; and by what course can I better perform 
my duties, and prevent mistakes and errors, in the 
week to come ? 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 333 

Such examiner, might be supposed to question 
himself, also, after this manner : I find that another 
of the few weeks of this transitory life, is gone; 
how many more are allotted to me ; is there certainly 
even one more : if time, if life itself, be a trust, what 
account have I to give, of the week that is gone ; 
have I learned any thing ; am I wiser or better, or 
more worthy of my own respect, and that of others, 
then I was on the last sabbath ; have I let the 
hours run by unmarked, by any useful act of mine ; 
have they gone by, stamped and forever, with 
marks which I shall, and must, behold again ; shall 
I then find that this week went by, as it could, and 
would, if I had known its value, and as I may here- 
after vainly wish it had ? Have I begun any thing 
of which I have not well considered the end ; have 
I considered before I acted ; have I taken care of 
irrevocable deeds ? 

In what manner have I disposed of this week in 
the performance of my social trusts ; have I done to 
others, as I would that they should do to me ; have 
I escaped vain and criminal anger ; have I said of 
any one, unlawfully, that which I should not dare 
to say to him ; have I been gentle, charitable, civil, 
cheerful, kind hearted ; have I rendered that which 
is due ; have I made promises, which I cannot per- 
form, or any which I should not make ; whom have 
I offended ; to whom have I given just] cause of 
complaint that I knew not the laws of individual, or 
social life ; if my peace of mind is disturbed, if a 
blush tinges my cheek, if a sigh bursts from my 
heart, if a tear dims my vision ; must this have 
come over me, or could I have prevented it ; might 
not this tranquil, blessed morn, have been to me, to 
my inmost heart, that which it is to those who know 
what is right, and who practise as they know ? 

Can I go, as I shall hereafter wish I had done, 
with a pure, healthy, earthly frame, becomingly 
covered with the products of ingenious and com- 
mendable industry, and with a peaceful, grateful, 
and devout mind, into a social assembly of Chris- 



334 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

tians ; can I enter the temple of the Almighty, to 
thank him, that I live ; that I am a rational being ; 
that I live in a land of civil and religious freedom ; 
that I can, and may, cultivate all the powers which 
he has given me, to my own benefit, and to his 
honor ; that I am permitted to come into his pres- 
ence, with intelligent, rational, virtuous, and devout 
citizens, who know, feel, and are grateful for, the 
blessings of the gospel, and the unrestrained right 
of profiting by the exalted hopes, and rewards, 
which it promises ? 

439. There is a portion of the sabbath day, after 
the public services are concluded, and also the 
evening of that day, which are passed in different 
modes by persons, who agree in most respects (it is 
believed), as to the manner, in which the preceding 
parts of the day should be passed. By some per- 
sons this portion of time is, in whole, or in part, de- 
voted to reading, either the scriptures, or some 
other book, connected with religious instruction. 
By some persons, it is devoted, in whole, or in part, 
to domestic instruction on christian duties. Others, 
again, consider that the evening especially, is a pro- 
per timefor family friends, who are prevented from 
seeing each other at other times, to meet in a quiet 
and unoffending manner, for social intercourse. 
There seems to be no reasonable objection to either 
of these modes. It is to be remembered, that the 
sabbath was made for man, and not man for the 
sabbath. # It is, therefore, to be passed, in that 
way which seems to be reasonably adapted to man's 
religious, moral and social character. There is one 
consideration of serious importance in relation to 
children. Certainly care should be taken, that they 
do not associate with the sabbath, privations, re- 

* Those who are accustomed to read the scriptures, know that in 
the 2d chapter of Mark's gospel, these are the words of the Saviour : 
1 And the pharisees said unto him, " Behold, why do they on the sab- 
bath day, that which is not lawful ? n And he said unto them, "The 
sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath ; therefore, the 
son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." ■ 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 335 

strictions and exactions, which make tne approach 
of that day, unwelcome. On the contrary, it ma- 
terially concerns their welfare, and that of society, 
that their feelings, as to the day, should be such, 
that they can anticipate it with pleasure, and look 
back on it with continually increasing satisfaction. 



NOTES. 



CASPAR HAUSER. 

(Referred to in page 212.) 

The account given of Caspar Hauser, in a little vol- 
ume lately published by Carter and Hendee, Boston, is 
thought to be so well authenticated as to be received as 
true. 

It is remarkable in two views; 1. as being a most 
extraordinary, and (probably) unprecedented case, in the 
history of mankind. 2. as being exceedingly instructive 
and interesting, from its connexion with philosophy. In 
the first view, it is extraordinary that any motives should 
have led to the imprisonment of any human being, from 
early infancy, until he was seventeen years of age, in a 
dark apartment; and in perfect solitude, so that he had 
never seen any human being, nor heard any voice but 
his own; still more extraordinary, that he should always 
have been kept in one position, that is, seated on a floor, 
with his back against a wall; that he should never have 
been permitted to stand upright, nor to stretch himself 
out at length. It is not extraordinary that he should be 
ignorant of all things going on in the world, and of all 
words, or means of expressing himself; nor that he should 
have been a mere child, when born into the world at the 
age of seventeen. 

When Caspar was between 17 and 18 years of age, he 
was found, on the 26th of May 1828, in a street of the city 
of Nuremberg, (Germany.) He, of course, could give 

30* 



336 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

no account whence, or how he came. He was con- 
sidered, and treated, as an idiot, or an impostor. It was 
not until he had learned the language of the country, 
that he could state what his condition had been. 

In the second view, this case is exceedingly interesting 
from the singular opportunity which it afforded, of 
demonstrating the process by which the senses, the moral 
principle, and the intellectual power are developed, by 
discipline, and education. Most unfortunately, it was 
not known, and could not be known, until sometime after 
Caspar had been at Nuremberg, what his former situa- 
tion had been. It was then too late to watch the 
progress of development, or to do any thing but collect 
facts, from those who had seen him, from the time that 
Casper was thrown into Nuremberg, but before his 
case was known. When it was known, his faculties had 
already undergone a course of discipline, and the favor- 
able opportunity for philosophy, had passed by. So far, 
however, as can be discerned from Caspar's history, it 
completely agrees with all the theories which are adopted 
in this volume, concerning the nature of the senses, the 
moral principle, and intellectual power. Ifit could have 
been, that the philosophers of Germany had known on 
the 26th of May 1828, what a treasure they had in poor 
Caspar Hauser, the most important and instructive light 
would have been cast on the phenomena of human nature: 
instruction, however, which, (it is to be hoped) no 
similar and unaccountable perseverance in crime, will 
ever again offer to human curiosity. The eminent 
author of this narration, properly calls the acts done to 
Caspar Hauser, by the striking name of, the murder of 
the souL 

ON SLAVERY. 

(Referred to in page 292.) 

The principle, that all men are born free and equal, 
applies to all white citizens, throughout the United States, 
and to all persons, except in the slave-holding states. 

There was a time when a right to persons, as pro- 
perty, was recognized throughout the civilized world. 
There was no exception as to color. Some philosophers, 
whose names have survived more than twenty centuries, 
were slaves. Until very lately, the slave trade was law- 
ful among the people of all Christian countries, as \\ ell as 



MORAL CLASS BOOK. 337 

others. Our own country has the honor of ranking it 
with one of the most aggravated of crimes, piracy. When 
our ancestors settled here, no one doubted that slaves 
might be acquired by purchase, or inheritance, like any 
other property. Within a few years afterwards, there 
were slaves in all the colonies. The declaration of 
rights in Massachusetts, in the year 1780, was understood 
to put an end to slavery here. It would have disap- 
peared, without the aid of that declaration, long before 
the present day, for many reasons, and among others, 
from interest; that is, that slaves cost more, in the whole, 
than their labor could produce. This fact, (if no other 
motives operate,) will finally abolish slavery far to the 
South; how far, it is difficult to say. Whether there be 
any part of the United States in which the white man, 
who drinks no ardent spirit, cannot safely labor in the sum- 
mer sun, remains to be proved. The hot valley of 
Egypt was southward of any latitude in our country. The 
Jews labored in fields which are in the same latitudes with 
the southern part of Georgia. — The Greeks celebrated 
the Olympic games, for nearly a thousand years, in the 
month of July, unprotected from the sun, near the city of 
Elis, which is in the same latitude with the middle part 
of Virginia. 

Recently, in Virginia, the opinion has been publicly 
maintained, that the absence of prosperity there, is to be 
attributed to the presence of slavery; and some of the 
eloquent and manly orators of that state have declared, 
that there is a moral degradation, springing out of slavery, 
which may be expected to disappear with that evil. 
Have the labors of northern philanthropists had any ten- 
dency to produce such opinions? Probably, none, 
whatever. But they are believed to have had other 
effects, injurious to the interests of this part of the country, 
and on the disposition to preserve the Union. Whatever 
may be said, or thought, the owners of slaves are no 
more reponsible morally, for the existence of slavery, 
than they are for the elevation of their mountains, or the 
depth of their rivers. 

There are a few persons, in this part of the United 
States, who may be more commendable for good intentions, 
then for good information, on the subject of slavery. 
Those who deserve to be called philanthropists seem to 
forget, or not to know, what a length of time it takes, to 
effect a moral revolution, which must change for others, 



338 MORAL CLASS BOOK. 

all the social, and many of the political relations of a 
whole people. They overlook in their zeal, that they 
assail rights, (for such they are claimed to be, and ce- 
mented by ages) of communities, who are in no wise 
accountable to them. Information, humanity, temperate 
and wise union of thought and action, among all who 
desire emancipation; and especially rational interest, more 
than all other things put together, are the only means by 
which the great purpose in view can be accomplished. 
The principle of slavery is one thing; the abolition of long 
continued slavery, is entirely another; and it may well te 
doubted whether discussions thereon, in non-slave holding 
states, are profitable to any purpose. 

This is a subject which the most Christian heart, and 
the wisest head, must approach with great solemnity. 
Suppose a competent authority should declare to a 
Northern philanthropist — f You shall devote your life to 
the abolition of slavery, and your life shall be prolonged 
for fifty years, in full vigor of body and mind. You shall 
have an inexhaustible treasury. The national and state 
governments shall enact, and execute, every law which 
you see lit to propose. But you shall effect your purpose 
within the term of your life; and iu effecting your pur- 
pose, you shall not violate any principle of conventional, 
natural, or divine law; and the manumitted shall not be 
in a worse condition from your labors.' Wliat would be 
the successive steps of this philanthropist ? Slavery will 
gradually recede far to the South, if rationally, and philo- 
sophically treated, and it is hoped, more for the sake of 
the white man than the colored, beyond the limits of our 
national republic. But, if this glorious achievement 
should ever be effected, it will not be through the honora- 
ble benevolence felt among those who dwell where 
slavery is not; but through the systematic and prospective 
measures which originate among those, where slavery is, 
and who are most interested to see its termination. 



THE END 



INDEX 

TO THE 

MORAL CLASS BOOK. 



Sections. 
Air, properties of 28 — 33 

M quantity taken into the lungs - 75 

cc pure, why necessary to health - - - 218 

Animal kingdom - ----- 57 

order of ----- 58 

" " preservation of - - - - 59 

" cc food, order of nature in - - - 60 

Animals, senses and powers of - - - 61 — 67 
Association (faculty of mind) - - - - 109 

effect of - 110 

' c power of in Newton and Bacon - - c c 

Attention, (faculty of mind) - - - - 111 

Abstraction, «"<<" 118 

Accountability, moral - - - - - 129 

Action, necessary to man - 203 — 219 — 235 

Analogy between vegetable and human life - - 207 
Adult age (season of life) - 208 

Academy, name of ----- - 135 

Amusements, necessity of > OQ A QP . 1 

kinds of ] ' -«4— JS1 

Avarice ----- - 255 

Anger, nature of 
(C effects of 
cc causes of 

" sufferings from [ - - - 263 — 271 
i( imaginary causes of 
" effects of how removed 
" interference of third parties 
Actions which cause dissensions - 280 
" promoting one's own good - 



340 INDEX. 

Sections. 
Associations to improve society - 404 

Age, old, (season of life) - 211 



B 



Bowditch, Dr. Prac. Nav. 


. 4 


Bacon, Lord, a christian - 


168 


Bones of human frame 


72—73 


Brothers and sisters, duties of } 




" true interests of > 


- - - - 364 


" friendships of ) 




Bodily strength and grace 


- 334—9 



78—86 



Cynic Philosophy - 139 

Conscience - - 153 
Colors, philosophy of doubted 

e ' how said to be perceived 

Cleanliness, duty of - - - 217 

" means of promoting - - - " 

Consciousness of being - 105 

Cicero -------- 140 

Chequers or draughts ------ 246 

Chess -------- 347 

Card playing ------- 345 

Conversation, theory and use of - 349 

Civility, a christian duty 

" due to all persons 

" illustrations of 

" advantages of 

Charity, different meanings of > Q17 <*oi 

" ' a christian duty J ." ^17— J^l 

Children, duty of mothers to ^ 

" " fathers > - - . - 362 

" should act for themselves ) 

Citizen, duties of ----- 389 

Condition, inequalities of - - - 410 — 415 

Crimes, legislative prevention of 399 

Confucius (moralist) - - - - - 131 

Clergymen, respect due to 433 

Christian meetings ------ 423 

Christianity, propagation of - - - - 199 






311—315 



INDEX. 



Christianity, prevalence of - - - 

" practical meaning of 

Comets ------ 

Colors, caused by motion of light 

£C objection to theory of 
Civil society - 

Caspar Hauser, note at end of vol. page 335 



341 

Sections. 

199 

197 

- 21 

86 

85—86 

380—387 



D 



Demonstrative evidence 


3 


Deity, existence of - 


- - 13—18 


6 ' known through his works 


_ <c cc 


Dreaming - - - - - 


121 


Duty moral - - - - 


- 203 


Duties of rational beings 


205 


Decline and old age 


- - 211 


Decoration, personal - - ■ - 


220 — 221 


Dress - 


220—221 


" injurious to health 


i( cc 


Duties to one's self 


223 


Drinking, inducements to } 




" consequences of > 


- - - 246—250 


why an abuse ) 




Deluge, Mosaic account of 


45 


Digestion 


- 76 


Discipline, military 


337 


Dancing, why useful 


- 339 


Drawing, delineation, uses of 


- 341 


Draughts or chequers 


- - - 346 


Domestic duties - - 


- 352 


Domestics (treatment of servants) 


365 


Diseases, causes of, note 


. 217—218 


cc of the sedentary 


138 


Death, order of nature } 




cc of children > 


370—378 


cc misfortunes, sickness ) 




Dead, how to be disposed of 


- 378 


Duties of a citizen - 


- 389 


Duty in republics - 


397 


<c political of the young 


<< 


Duties to the poor 


408 


" to other nations 


. 417_420 


" to the Creator - 


421 



342 



INDEX. 

E 



Sections. 



Evidence, intuitive - 

" demonstrative - - 

" probable - - - - 
te presumptive - - - - 
Existence of Supreme Being - 

proved from firmament - 
globe 



cc 


cc 


cc 


cc 


CC 


cc 


CC 


cc 


cc 


CC 


cc 


cc 


cc 


cc 


cc 


cc 


cc 


cc 



Epicurean philosophy 
Error, causes of suffering 
Eyes of insects > 

fc of animals ) 

cc human described 

" cc motion of 
Ear, human described 
Exercise 
Earth, motions of (note facing) 

" rapidity of motion - 

Cf changes in 
Epictetus - 
Envy, nature of 

<c evil of 

cc <( of man's making 

cc (C effects of 
Emulation, nature of 

cc compared with envy 
Encyclopaedia Americana (note to) 



- 2 

- 3 
7 

- 8 
13—18 

20 
- - 27 
action of water 34 — 40 
geology - - 41 — 47 
vegetable kingdom 54 
animal ' c 58 

human organization 70 
" senses 78—87 
human intellect 93 

- - - - 136 
intro. chap. 

61—67 



F 



Forest, grandeur of 
Firmament cc " 
Feeling, sense of 
Figure, human 
Frame, human 
Foot, abuse of - 
Fashions, folly of - 



78—82 
84 

87—90 

219 

25 

22—25 

cc cc 

140 
258—261 



262 

cc 

30 



55 

- 20 

91 

70—71 

72—73 
221 
221 



INDEX. 343 

Sections. 

Food, why necessary - 77 

cc objection to order of nature in - 60 

<c injurious to health - - - - 218 

Free agency ------ 121 — 124 

Family pride ------ 275 

Falsehood and truth 281—283 

Families, duties of ----- 366 

Foreign visiters, duties to - - - - 417 — 420 



G 

Geology --------41 

Geological changes, (note) - 43 

Greeks, whence their philosophy - - - 140 

Ghosts, mental delusion ----- 155 

Generalization (faculty of mind) - - - 117 

Gentleness, a virtue 322—323 

value of in domestic life - (( 

Gaming, what it is ) qza 

cc evils of ) 

Gratitude, nature of - - - - 285—287 

Games 345—348 

i( Grecian Olympic - - - *■"'■- 351 



H 

Hearing, sense of 87 — 90 

" theory of doubted - - - - 89 

Heart, mechanical power of 75 

Human duties ------- 207 

Health 216 

injurious to (note on food) - - 217 

Habit, nature of } 

cc control over > - - 239 — 241 

c< tyranny of ) 
Happiness, what it is, and is not - - - 410 

Honesty, nature of - 294 

Honor, nature of 
" men of 
" law of 
Husband, duties of 
" contract of 

" misconduct of 

31 



344 INDEX. 

Sections. 
Human society, in U. S. - - - 388 — 398 

Happiness, dependant on morals - 410 

Heat 49—50 

Hauser Caspar, note at end of vol. page 335 - 



Introductory chapter. 

Intuitive evidence ------ 2 

Insects, eyes of 61 — 67 

Ideas, association of - - - - - -110 

Idea, nature of------ 116 

Ideas of reflection - - - - - -117 

" of abstraction - - - - - -118 

" of generalization - - - - - 117 

Imagination, and works of 120 

Immortality, (from reason) - - - - 155 — 165 

" proofs of 157 — 160 

universal sentiment of 158 

" objections to, answered - - - 161 

" inferred from nature of mind - 163 

(c through revelation - - - " 

Insanity ------ - 121 

Infancy (season of life) - - - - 214 

Intemperance, different kinds of 244 — 250 

Insincerity and sincerity ----- 284 

Ingratitude, nature of 285 — 287 

Injustice and justice ----- 291 — 292 

Inequality of condition - - - - 410 — 415 

Imitation, principle of 

" speech caused by 

" forms society 

" instances of 

" in manners and fashions 

" influence of in families 

" in schools 

Imitated, duties of - 310 

Independence, (character) - - - - 416 



- - 301—310 



Judgment, judging, (faculty of mind) - - 122 

Jesus, proofs that he was the Messiah - - 171 — 175 
Justice and injustice - - - - 291 — 292 



INDEX. 


345 




Sections. 


L 




Longitude and latitude - 


- 3—4 


Light of nature, (Bacon) - 


143 


" motion of - 


- 22—23 


Liberty and necessity - 


121—124 


Locke, John, (a christian) - 


168 


Lungs, description and uses of - 


- 75 


Life, natural action of - 


76 


" series of acts from motives - 


122 


sc intended for happiness - - - - 


197—198 


" early, how to be spent - 


214—215 


" purposes of 


213 


" as a whole ------ 


- 212 


Love, nature of self } 




" " perversions of > 


226—232 


" " proper use of ) 




Love, as a passion 


353—356 


Labor, a pleasure 






(i benefits of 






" cause of improvement 


- - - - 


233—238 


(< why irksome 






" how made easy 






Lotteries, evil of 


254 


Lying, sin and evils of } 




" always unprofitable > - - - - - 


281—282 


Liar, guilt and folly of ) 




Law of honor - 


293—296 


Liberty, civil ------ 


380—387 


Laws in the U. S. - - - - - 


388—393 


Laws to prevent moral evil - 


398—403 


Law-makers, supposed duty of 


398—403 


Local police «* 


- 406 


Legislative duty in preventing evil - 


398 — 403 


Lord's day - - 


425 


Laborers, sedentary, how may employ their 




minds while at work 


- - - 


138 



M 

Moral accountability - - - - - 129 

Morals, meaning of - - ■ - - - - 150 

" founded in the will of God - 200 

Moral sense, (opinions of eminent men) - - 143 



346 



INDEX. 



cc 



cc 



Moral qualities in man 
cc duty, defined 
" evils, legislation to prevent 
Minerals, ores, uses of 
Man, necessary part of creation 
" globe, adapted to 
'* laws prescribed to 
cc figure of, frame of - 
qualities of 

muscles and motion of - 
vital action of - 
digestive power of - 
mind of, how acted on 
free agent - 

distinguished from brutes - 
sum of his faculties 
" moral being - 
cc immortal being - 
" action necessary to - 
Mind, theories of 
" action of 
cc cultivation of - 
" perception of 
cc principle faculties of 
Memory, nature of unknown 

" action of - 
Milton's Paradise Lost 
Messiah, prophecies concerning 

" expectation of 

Miracles, proof of 

** what they are - 
Mosaic History 
Military discipline 
Music 

" nature and use of 
" why to be cultivated 
" as an amusement 
Marriage, provision of Deity 
moral influence of 
a contract 
solemnity of 
improvidence in making 
motives to 

prevented by fashion 
how to be entered into 



Sections. 
145—154 
203—205 



- 50 
68 
69 

- 69 
70—77 

71 
74 
75 
76 

- 128 
121—127 

127 
128 
129 

157—160 
238 

94-95-96 

cc a ct 

97 

- 98 
128 

112—116 
107—109 

- 120 

172—176 

178—194 

186 

45 

337 



342-4 



- 353—358 



INDEX. 


347 




Sections. 


Modes of acting, (duties) 


205 


Misfortunes, sickness, death 


- 370—378 


Mourning apparel - - 


379 


Misery of society, causes of - 


386 


(perversion of religion) - 


- 386 



N 



Nitrogen (air) - 

Newton, Sir Isaac, (a christian) 
Necessity philosophical 
Neighborhood 

" duties of 

Neptunists 
National duties - 
Navigator, practical 



28—33 

- 168 

121—124 



406 



47 

417—420 

- 4 



O 



Oxygen (air) 

Old testament, sublimity of 

Ocean, grandeur of 

" saltness of - 
Old age and decline 
Others, speaking of 



28—33 

170 

- 40 

37 

211 

- - 277 



Probable evidence - 


7 


Presumptive " 


8 


Proofs of existence of Deity 




drawn from firmament - 


20 


" " globe - 


- 27 


" (( action of water 


34—40 


" geology - - 


- 41—47 


" " vegetable life 


54 


" fC animal " 


- 58 


" " human organization 


70 


" senses - 


- 78—87 


" " intellect - 


93 


Practical navigator, Bowditch - 


4 


Philosophy, meaning of (note) - 


132 


31* 





348 INDEX. 





Sections. 


Philosophy Zoroaster 


131 


" (Confucius) - 


131 


" (Socratic) 


133 


se peripatetic - 


- 134 


" phyrronic 


135 


" epicurean - 


- 136 


" stoic 


138 


ce cynic 


- 139 


" platonic - 


135 


" moral (note) 


- 132 


Philosophers, heathen 


130—131 


Planets, motion of 


22 


Perception, (faculty of mind) - 


115 


Prophecies as to Messiah - 


. 171—175 


Purposes of life 


213 


Personal decoration - 


- 220 


Peace of mind, its nature 




cc evil of not having 




cc in office, trusts, perils 




" how lost 


325—333 


cc how obtained 




" " by all classes 




Profaness, wickedness of 


- - 256-7 


Pride, different kinds of 


273 
275 


" family 


Promises, evils of > 
11 folly of making ) 


• 

288—290 


Prudence, meaning of 


- 299—300 


Politeness - 


316 


Parental blindness 


- 363 


Parents, disappointments of 


367 


" treatment of children 


- 362 


People, sovereign in U. S. ) 
tc political duties of ) 


388 — 398 


\S w V \^ \S \f 


Political power 


. -m, 6C (( 


" parties 


m - t( tl 


Politicians, unprincipled - 


395 


" honest 


- - - l( 


Popularity, (Lord Mansfield) 


396 


Pauperism, cause of 




" legislative prevention of )> - - 398 — 403 


Prevention of crimes 




Public punishments 


402 


Police, local - 


. . 406-7 


Paley mentioned 


. 144—293 



INDEX. 349 

Sections. 

Poor, duties to the > 408 

" vicious, virtuous ) 

Property, meaning and use of } 

division of V - - - 408—415 

" inequality in ) 

Pythagoras - - - - - - 131—133 

Plato, why so named - - - - - 135 

Public worship - - 428 

Peabody, Miss (Degerando) note - - 410 



Q 

Quakers ' 400 

R 

Revelation, tested by reason - - - - 166 

Religion, defined - - - - - -168 

state of from 6th to 16th century - - 169 

Resurrection of the Saviour - 171 — 176 

Revelation, historical evidence of 178 — 194 

Revelation, internal evidence of 195 — 200 

" consequences of 201 — 2 

Respiration ------ 75 

Recreations, necessity of ) o Q/l ^ An 

kinds of $ " " 334— 34 ° 

Reading, uses of ----- - 350 

Respect-self, meaning of 272 
Riches, right to, and power of 

' division of V - - 413 — 415 
" meaning of 



S 

Socratic philosophy ----- 133 

cc reasoning - - - - - - " 

Solar system -------22 

Stars, number and magnitude - - - - " 

Stones, variety and use of ----- 49 

" precious (gems) - - - - 50 

Sound, theory of doubted - - - - - 89 

Senses, connexion of ----- 91 



350 INDEX. 

Sections. 

Senses in infancy ----- 95 — 96 

" subjects of discipline - 97 

cc consequences of defective - 100 

" difference in 101—103 

Sense of hearing explained - 87 — 90 

Senses, indispensable to the mind - - 103 

Sense of right and wrong - 143 

Speech, (man's peculiar gift) - 71 

Stomach, uses of ------ 76 

Sleeping rooms, air of - - - - 218 

Self-love explained 226—232 

cc perversion of - - - " " 

" proper use of - - - - " " 
Selfishness - - - - - - 242—243 

evils of " 

Soul, supposed origin of ----- 99 

Shakspeare - - - - - - - 120 

Suffering from trifles ------ 324 

Self respect explained ----- 272 

Speaking of others - - - - 276—272 

Slander 278—279 

Slanderer, guilt and folly of - - - " 

Sincerity and insincerity ----- 284 
Sisters and brothers } 

" true interest > 364 

" friendships of ) 

Seduction of the young - 398—403 

Sickness, misfortunes, death - - - 370 — 378 

" instances of from folly - - - - 374 

State of nature 381—384 

" of society " 

Society, civil, in U. S. - - - - 388—398 

" welfare of, how promoted 
Swearing, profane ------ 256 

Seneca (moralist) - - - - . - - 140 

Sabbath day 424 

" why respected - - - 428 — 433 

Cf " how to be passed - - - 436 — 8 

" violations of 432 

Sundy schools ------ 437 

Sermons ------- 434 

Self-examination ------ 438 

Servants ------- 365 

Society, civil ------ 380 — 387 

Slavery at end of vol. page 337 



INDEX. 351 

Sections. 



Tides 34—40 

Tasting, sense of - - - - - - 95 

Thompson's seasons ----- 120 

Testament old - - - - - - 170 

Time, proper uses of - - - - - 223 — 225 

Tobacco, use and abuse - - - - 251 — 253 

Trifles, causes of suffering - - - - 324 

Truth and falsehoood - - - - 281—283 

Teeth, why to be preserved — note - - - 218 



U 

Universe created ------ 15 

" unity and harmony of - - - - 16 



Vegetable kingdom ----- 54 

" life, continuance of - 55 — 56 

Vulcanists -------46 

Vision in man ------ 78 — 86 

« theory of doubted - - - - " " 

Vanity, nature and folly of - - - - 274 

Vice and crime, duty of society to prevent 398 — 403 

Virtuous and viscious poor - 408 

Vision in animals ----- 63 — 67 

Vices, connexion between - - - 257 

Voice, gentleness of - - - - - - 323 



W 



Water, action of 


34—40 


Will, faculty of mind - - - - 


- 122 


Washington, death of (note) 


- 375 


" sense of honor — note - 


296 


" character of - 


- 296 


" instance of magnanimity in 


- - 378 


Written constitutions - 


391 


Worship, public - - - - - 


- 428 



352 



INDEX. 



Wife, duties of 
" conduct of 
" duties to husband 
" " to children j 

Written constitutions 



Sections. 

360—361 

391 



Youth, duties of 
Young, political duties of 
Youth, season of life 



207 
397 
215 



Zoroaster, (moralist) 
Zeno, philosopher 



131 
138 



THE END. 



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